Ero Illic
by magsdalena
Summary: Oh, secrets. When Annabelle Malfoy steps into the school as a sixth year, secrets are everywhere. What is she doing here so late? Why is her last name Malfoy? She meets true friends, teachers, and Harry Potter. But one secret can destroy her life forever.
1. Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

"Annabelle? Annabelle, will you come over here for a second?!" Narcissa called, despite the bustle and the craziness at Platform 9 ¾. Draco stood near his mother, with no emotion attached to his face. Like always, Annabelle was off somewhere, doing something stupid, but probably in awe.

"Where is she?!" Narcissa snapped, staring avidly at her watch, which now displayed the time, _10:58._

Draco shrugged, and continued staring at the Hogwarts train, full of steam. He'd just about give anything not to go to school this year, but like most, he had no choice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some blond hair whip up, and only a second later, Annabelle was standing right by him.

"Hi mom!" she said excitedly, staring at all the chaos around the station.

"Finally! The train leaves in two minutes!" her mom said angrily, but sighing in relief. "I was scared you wouldn't say goodbye to your mommy."

Annabelle laughed, her voice all sing-song. "You know I wouldn't do that to you mom," she said, kissing Narcissa on the cheek.

Draco smirked, and was thrown a glare by his mom.

"You two better look after yourselves, and obviously one another. It's going to be a crazy year," she eyed Draco at this, "and you will want to make it through with flying colours."

Draco nodded his head curtly, a small smile forming on his lips. "Goodbye mom."

His mom watched him for a second longer before recovering from her gaze, and smiling sadly. "I'll miss you both, so much!"

"We will too mom," Annabelle said, squeezing her mom so tightly Draco was scared Narcissa would suffer from lack of oxygen, "I promise I'll send you and dad – "

She was cut off by the loud sound of the horn. The train was slowly getting into gear.

"Well, we've got to run. See you at Christmas, mom!" Draco said quickly, grabbing his and Annabelle's bags. "Come on Belle," he muttered.

Annabelle gave one last kiss to Narcissa, before following Draco onto the train. After the doors closed, she turned around to have one final look at her mom. Narcissa was waving, the obvious sadness shown in her eyes. Annabelle lifted her hand in goodbye, before her mom disappeared with all the other families faces.

"Dracey!" someone screamed before Annabelle or Draco could step inside the corridor. A flushed and somewhat pretty girl was waving feverishly at Draco, a grin so wide it pretty much covered her entire face. The only thing visible was her upper torso, seeing as she was leaning out of a compartment. Draco gestured in that direction to Annabelle, who followed him without complaint. Seeing as she was Draco's age and everything, she was hoping she'd be able to hang out with him and his friends. They were twins, but looked nothing alike. They had almost the same hair color, except Draco's was much more platinum while Annabelle's stayed more golden. Then for the eyes, which were a vibrant, icy blue, were pretty much all they had in common. The rest was … completely different.

Annabelle knew Draco probably hadn't told anyone he had a twin; not that she cared. She never went to Hogwarts before, due to a sickness and the fact that she could barely do magic; but she was still happy she was here, even in no one knew that Draco was her brother.

"Hey Pansy, how was your summer?" Draco asked politely, as the girl – Pansy – held open the door, and helped place the baggage's on the shelves up top.

"Just the same, quite boring actually," she said, reaching for Annabelle's suitcase. Annabelle couldn't help but notice the jealousy on Pansy's face when she quickly looked at her as she heaved up the suitcase. Annabelle was going to laugh and point out that Draco was her brother, but kept silent. He could do that, if he wanted to.

Annabelle made a quick observation of the people in the compartment. There were two really, well, oversized boys, along with another boy who would look pretty handsome if he didn't look like such a snob.

Draco sat himself beside the snob, which left only an empty seat beside the two fat boys, or the snob himself. Annabelle wasn't sure which one to pick – they were equally difficult to choose from. But Draco helped her out, by scooting over to the left, leaving a space beside him, big enough to fit Annabelle.

Gratefully, she placed herself beside him, and an annoyed Pansy sat across from her.

"So," Pansy started, watching Annabelle from the corner of her eye, but facing her entire body to Draco. "Who's this?"

"Annabelle," Draco said coolly, without a second glance. Instead of looking at his sister, he turned his gaze to the window.

Annabelle smiled warmly at Pansy. "Just call me Anna," she said, sticking out her hand. Pansy hesitated, before gripping it lightly then quickly pulling away. "Er, call me Pansy."

Annabelle nodded, and looked over at the fat boys and the snob, with her head tilted to the side. She wasn't sure how to introduce herself.

"This is Crabbe," Pansy said quickly, gesturing at the fat boy beside her. "Goyle and Blaise." She pointed to the other two without taking her gaze off Annabelle.

"Er – hi," Annabelle said awkwardly, looking around at Draco, who's eyes were still on the window. The others all grunted, and went back into conversation, as if there was no disruption at all. But Pansy, unfortunately, kept staring.

After a while, as Annabelle was gathering up the courage to snap at Pansy, Pansy broke the silence between them. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Um… yes, I am actually."

"Why?" Pansy asked rudely. Annabelle's face reddened because she didn't know what to reply to this, or how.

"Because she's my sister," Draco said, finally taking his gaze of the window, and coming to his sister's aid.

At this, everyone's head in the compartment snapped up, except for Annabelle's, whose eyes remained on the ground.

"Annabelle Malfoy," he said quietly, so his voice couldn't be carried out to the corridors. He slowly began telling them all about Annabelle, about why she wasn't at school before, and only finally entering into her sixth year.

Throughout the whole explanation, Annabelle's eyes remained glued on the floor, nervous about the reactions she will be getting.

After reaching the part when Draco was telling his friends why he never told them about her, Annabelle excused herself to go the washroom, and was glad when she closed the compartment door behind her.

She thought it'd be only logic if she'd go up the train, because usually bathrooms were at the end of a train.

To her luck, she found the washrooms and opened the door, when a loud _thud_ came from the other side, and someone said, "Ow."

She quickly extracted and closed the door again, not daring to open it in case she hits the same person. She knew her face was etched with surprised.

"I'm so sorry!" she said quickly, loud enough for the other person at the other end to hear.

"It's all right." Immediately, Annabelle recognized the voice as a guy's, and with wide eyes looked up at the sign on the door. Of course, the sign said "Males."

_Damnit._

She was quickly going to slip in the women's door, and save herself from a humiliating accident, when the door to the males washroom opened and out came a boy.

A boy with jet black hair.

A boy with emerald green eyes, covered by glasses.

A boy with a visible scar on his forehead.

Harry Potter.

For a second, he looked confused and his brow furrowed, but then his face eased.

"Er – "

Annabelle felt her face flushing. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to – "

"Don't worry about it," he cut her off, the corners of his mouth starting to raise up. "I guess you got mixed up with the signs," he said, gesturing to the one above his head.

Annabelle nodded nervously. "I guess I did. Listen, I really didn't mean to – "

But Harry just raised his arm to stop her, and finally smiled. "It's okay."

Annabelle lifted her head and smiled weakly, already angry with herself because she managed to embarrass herself, not even reaching the school yet.

"Well, I think I'm going to go, you know…" she trailed off, her finger pointing towards the girls door.

"Right," Harry grinned. "I'll see you around."

Her face blushing deep red, Annabelle pulled herself into the washroom and closed the door, sighing. What a wonderful start this was to a new school year.

- - - -


	2. The Sorting Hat

They were nearing Hogwarts now, according to Blaise. Just ten more minutes.

Everyone was already dressed in their school robes, all hyped up and excited. Except for Draco, so it seemed, whose take then the position of having his head in Pansy's lap, with her gently stroking his hair. Every time Annabelle saw this, she wanted to throw up.

She never knew her brother could be so in, _love._ She smirked whenever she thought of that.

"Aren't you excited Dracey?" Pansy asked sweetly, moving a strand of hair aside from his forehead.

"Not really," he said.

"_Awe!_ Why not?"

Draco shrugged.

Finally, the train was slowly coming to a stop, and Annabelle couldn't be more relieved. Everyone except for Draco, jumped to their feet and grabbed their bags, pushing their way out. It was only Annabelle and her brother left inside, with Draco still sitting and staring overtop of her head.

"Draco?"

"You go ahead," Draco said, still staring at the same area. Annabelle gave in, and followed his gaze, but saw nothing. Just a normal, empty shelf. Uneasily, she looked back at him.

"But – "

"Just go outside, and you'll see this oaf with a lantern, guiding first years. He'll tell you where to go, and then I'll meet you at the Slytherin table."

Annabelle wasn't sure if she should listen to him or not, seeing as he was still watching the exact nonexistent spot.

"Go," Draco urged.

Annabelle took her luggage slowly, and walked out of the compartment, checking over her shoulder at Draco, who was still sitting, and, you guessed it, staring.

When she got off of the train, the first thing she spotted was the oversized man standing, and yelling for first years. This must have been the "oaf" Draco was talking about. Although he didn't look mean; in fact, he looked extremely kind. For a second, the nervous feeling in Annabelle's stomach disappeared, as she let the warmth of his smile sink in. She gripped her suitcase much tighter, and then strolled over as confidently as she could to him and the group that was forming just near a lake. She was just a couple of strides away, when she realized she forgot something. Her owl, Kat.

Of course! She must have left him in the compartment, and completely forgot about him, thanks to Draco's bizarre acting. But she couldn't leave him stuck in there, she needed him to send letters to her mom and dad.

She quickly overlooked the choices she had. One, she could forget about the owl, and make it inside Hogwarts, completely unembarrassed, or she could go back and take the owl, chancing the fact she might not be able to get into the school.

She decided to take the second option.

She retracted her footsteps with a final glance at the group, and nervously quickened her pace to get back to the train. The train was slowly starting to get back into gear, so Annabelle just threw her suitcase down on the ground and jumped in the train, completely desperate. The whole train was so empty, and the feeling gave her a sinking pit in her stomach. Worst part of it all was, she couldn't remember what number compartment she was in.

There was hooting in the distance, and Annabelle immediately recognized it as Kat's. She started to run down the corridor, her ears following the familiar, "_Hoot, hoot._"

Then she reached the compartment, and slid it open. To her utter relief, there was Kat, perched on the shelf inside her cage.

"Thank goodness," Annabelle muttered, stepping inside to take the cage off the shelf. "Kat, I nearly forgot about – " But Annabelle stepped on something uneven, and felt herself flying backwards, along with something else. A piece of cloth, she was guessing.

She hit the floor hard, and nearly banged her head. There was something soft on her legs, but she then realized that her legs were gone! All she could see was the floor, but then, where were her legs? Then she strained her neck to see what the reason was to why she fell.

She would have screamed, and she was really close to it; but then a hand jumped to her mouth, noticing it was her own.

Right before her, lying on the floor and clearly stunned, was Harry Potter. Except blood was flowing freely down his face, and half his body was gone, as if… invisible.

She looked at him, with her hand still covering her face, and for a moment forgot where she was.

Annabelle reached into her robes to pull out her wand, and tried desperately to think of a counter spell to make him move again. How was she supposed to know it though? This was her first year at Hogwarts, and she never had any magical education before.

She pointed the wand straight at Harry, unsure of what to do.

_Make him move, oh please make him move. Come on Harry! Get up! Get up! _

Nothing happened.

_Harry! Please, please, get up, move, come on! Get up!_

And then Harry was suddenly free of the spell, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. His whole shirt was covered in blood, and Annabelle was still on her knees, holding the wand out. She was surprised, yet pleased with herself. She couldn't help but notice that when Harry got up, his legs and hers were revealed, and he ended up carrying a cloak.

"Thanks," he said, but his voice was muffled and barely heard over the blood flowing down his nose.

Annabelle could feel herself going pale. "Anytime," she whispered.

She was still extremely surprised. She stowed the wand away in her robes and looked at him, who was having trouble seeing her, due to all the amount of blood.

"I wish I knew how to make this stop…" she said quietly, pulling off a sweater she had underneath her robes to keep her warm. She handed it to him, and he pressed it against his face thankfully.

Suddenly, the train lurched forward, and it began to move. Harry's panicked eyes met Annabelle's, and he quickly grabbed her hand as she grabbed Kat with another, and pulled her to the nearest exit. The exit door opened, and slowly, the train was picking up speed.

"Jump!" Harry yelled, blood splattering on a part of Annabelle's robe.

"I can't!" she said frantically, staring down at the floor, which began moving faster and faster.

"Come on, you can do it!"

"I can't Harry!"

For a second, Harry was quiet, wondering how Annabelle knew his name. He was sort of ashamed that he didn't know hers.

The train was turning a corner, and soon the Hogwarts castle was going to vanish.

He squeezed her hand firmly, and reassuringly.

"One," he yelled.

Annabelle's eyes were frightened, and she started to shake.

"Two."

"Harry!"

"Three!"

And with that, he pulled her along with him, to hit the hard cement floor on the station platform.

The worst part of it was when Harry and Annabelle hit the ground, both landing on their sides. The rest was just fading pain.

Annabelle groaned from beside him.

"Sorry," he apologized from the other side, also hurting.

"It's okay," Annabelle moaned, heaving herself up. Her entire left side of the body felt like it was hit by a truck.

She looked down and saw her wand on the ground, beside Harry. She picked it up. "How do you summon things again?" she asked.

"Er, Accio?" Harry said, slowly standing up. He pressed the sweater Annabelle gave him harder on his broken nose. He looked around to see a cage with a pure black owl in it, hooting frantically. "Lucky you left your owl there," he said, overtop Annabelle's tries of summoning her suitcase.

"Accio! Accio!"

Harry stepped beside her and watched her curiously. "You say what you want to summon after Accio," he told her slowly.

Annabelle felt herself go red. She was so stupid! "Right," she said hastily, before correcting herself.

"Accio Suitcase!" she said, waving her wand like some maniac. "Accio Suitcase! Come on, _Accio Suitcase!_"

All of her attempts were feeble, for none of them let the suitcase come this way. Harry took his own wand out of his pocket. "Do you want me to do – "

"Harry!" she cried, before a hard object hit Harry on the back of his head, causing him to stumble forward for a second. Of course, the suitcase.

"Ow," he said, rubbing his head, with one hand, and the other hand holding the sweater to his nose.

"I'm so sorry!" Annabelle gasped, her face blushing again.

"Don't worry about it," he said quickly, a barely visible smile on his lips, thanks to the blood.

Annabelle shook her head and put her hands in her face. "This is going to be a great year," she said sarcastically, her hands cooling the heat of her face. "I can feel it."

Harry just laughed.

"Potter! Is that you?"

Both Annabelle and Harry turned around to see a worried older woman stepping out of the dark in her robes. The relief was shown across her face the second she spotted Harry.

"What on _earth_ are you still doing here?" she said, walking towards them swiftly. Her eyes caught Annabelle, and her whole body eased. "Ah, Annabelle, I was wondering where you were off to. Hagrid was supposed to bring you to me, but he said you never got off board the train. So then I came here looking for you, and – Potter, what in the name of Merlin happened to your nose?!"

She scurried over to him, and Harry lowered the sweater that was completely blood soaked.

"I – er, broke… my nose."

"So I can see that!" the lady snapped, taking out her wand from her robes. She pointed it at Harry and there was a small flash before the blood stopped pouring.

The women placed her wand back in her robes disapprovingly, as Harry felt his nose gratefully. "Thanks Professor."

"Yes well – " she said curtly, eyeing Harry again. "You can go inside, but should hurry up, mind you, dessert starts in eight minutes."

Harry nodded obediently, and smiled at Annabelle. "I'll see you around?"

"Bye."

The woman turned to face Annabelle. "I'm Professor McGonagall dear, head of Gryffindor house."

"Pleasure to meet you," Annabelle said politely.

"Yes, the pleasure is mine…" she quickly checked on the castle a moment, before turning her attention back to Annabelle.

"The sorting is just about to finish, so if we hurry, and I mean really hurry, we could sort you just in time."

McGonagall grabbed Kat as Annabelle grabbed the suitcase, and she led her to the entrance of the castle, with Annabelle following and asking questions of curiosity.

The minute they got inside, Annabelle took an intake of breath; the castle smelled so delicious. They then approached some large wooden doors, and the scent of food was getting stronger.

"Leave your bags here, then follow me down the hallway, okay?" McGonagall directed.

Before Annabelle said anything or nodded, the doors opened and she was standing facing about a thousand students.

She gulped.

McGonagall strolled confidently down the aisle, and when she was halfway through, she realized Annabelle wasn't following. A bit embarrassed, she gestured for Annabelle to come out; so she did.

But Annabelle knew her face was red, and stared at the ground when she walked down, feeling the stares she received from other students. Some were even standing up to look at her, which made her even more embarrassed and she didn't dare lift her face in case she made contact with them.

There was a stool in front of the whole room, and McGonagall helped Annabelle seat herself into it. Then a ratty looking hat was placed on Annabelle's head.

The hallway was completely quiet.

"Ah, what a pureblood!" something shrieked from the top of her head. Annabelle jumped in her seat, realizing this was the hat. There were a few snickers in the hallway.

Draco hadn't said much about Hogwarts; he only told her that she'll be in Slytherin, and that she better make her own friends then. So of course, Annabelle was already thinking Slytherin.

"Do you want to be placed there Annabelle? Do you really want to?" the voice said loudly.

"I don't know," she whispered, feeling stupid. "I don't really care."

"You'll do really well in that house, of course. But you could do even better in a different one."

Annabelle bit her lip, and the whole room went quiet.

"Better be…

GRYFFINDOR!" the hat roared.

For a second Annabelle was dumbfounded. The whole Gryffindor table eroded in claps and yells, but all Annabelle could see was Draco.

The shocked and disgusted look she never has seen on his face before.

McGonagall grabbed the hat off Annabelle's head, and motioned at the Gryffindor table. Unsteadily, and still in shock, Annabelle slowly stumbled her way to the table.

-;-

I bet this was a little bit of a shocker, haha! :)

I've never used fanfiction before so I'm still a little new to this. But when I read my e-mail the other day I'm surprised at how many followers/readers I've got! And two reviews too! That's so awesome, I can't believe it! I post this story on Quizilla so the most I got was one person who read it all and having six people when only one chapter out is amazing! Thank you so much to BellaCullen2312, to bongwater, to michi-nin, to Warlocke, to Shadow Quil, and Kyubii Chan!

I didn't expect this at all and it's one of the most pleasant surprises I had in a long while! Thank you all so, so much! 3

mags


	3. New Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter – as awesome as it is! (And sorry for not posting Disclaimers on my previous two chapters, I didn't know that we should!)

- - - -

It was dark, and it was evening, and Annabelle was sitting on her four post bed uneasily, and unsure if she should go downstairs and make some friends. She had a journal her parents bought her in front of her, and had just finished writing an entry of the first school day. She definitely mentioned Harry and the bizarre scenario when they had to jump off the train. Her mind headed back to the fact that she yet had to make a friend in this house.

Truth is, she didn't want to make any friends. What she wanted was to be in Slytherin, where her whole family belonged, near Draco.

The guilt hit her hard in the stomach, and Annabelle was trying to not think of the expression Draco gave her, or the reactions she's probably going to get from her parents. Kat was already flying, a letter explaining to Narcissa how she had a great first day and how she ended up in Gryffindor. (Not so great.)

Annabelle sighed and looked around her fellow room mates. There were two twins, off to the side and giggling under their covers, another girl unpacking her clothes, and then one more girl sitting on her bed and reading a book, completely immersed. She was the only girl who tried to be friendly with Annabelle, out of the four of them.

Annabelle got up from her bed and walked to stand on the edge of the girl's bed. She had no idea what she was doing until the bushy haired girls head snapped up.

"Nice book, you're reading," Annabelle said, not even a clue to what she was reading.

"Thanks!" the girl said cheerfully. She moved aside and patted an empty spot on the bed, big enough for Annabelle. Hesitantly, Annabelle took it and the girl beamed.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said, closing the book and putting it on her table. "You're new, right?"

"Er, yes I am. I'm Annabelle Malfoy, but you can call me Anna."

It took only as millisecond for Annabelle to realize the mistake she made, because Hermione immediately retracted and her eyes grew wide.

"You're a Malfoy?!" she asked incredulously.

Annabelle put her finger to her lips and shushed Hermione, nodding her head softly.

"Yes, well," Annabelle said quietly. "But please Hermione, please don't tell anyone. Draco doesn't want people to know!"

Hermione smirked. "Malfoy doesn't want people to know he has family? Well, that's pathetic." When she called Draco by his last name, Annabelle winced.

"It's not that," Annabelle said softly, wishing she'd never walked over to Hermione. "It's just, I don't know. Just please Hermione, please can you keep it a secret, for now?"

Hermione just looked at her. "Wow," was all she said.

It was quiet for a little bit longer, before Hermione regained herself. "Then why aren't you in Slytherin?"

Annabelle shrugged sadly.

She was only here for a couple of hours, and has already been humiliated, has already felt ashamed, and already told a secret no one should have known about.

But in a way, Annabelle felt she could trust this girl, even if she only just met her. It's just one of those feelings.

"I'll keep your secret Annabelle," she said. Her forehead was creased though. "Sorry I jumped on you like that earlier."

"It's fine," Annabelle said quickly.

"Truth be told, I think I already knew that. You look a lot like him, and Harry told us that you were hanging out with him on the train – "

"Wait, what?" Annabelle asked, gazing up at Hermione. How did she know this?

Hermione's eyes widened, but quickly eased as she realized her mistake.

"It's nothing, Harry just passed your compartment and saw you," she said.

Annabelle nodded, but then the image of him and his bloody nose popped in her head. She shivered a little.

"Anyways," Annabelle said, standing up. "It was great to meet you Hermione, thanks for… you know."

Hermione nodded understandingly. "Anytime Annabelle – Anna," she corrected.

Annabelle smiled and went back into her bed, pulling the covers over her head, and falling into an uneasy sleep.

- - - -

The next morning Annabelle woke up with the rest of the girls in her dormitory sleeping. She got changed and headed down into the common room, only to see four people down. Like most of the people in the Gryffindor common room, she didn't know them, and they all looked fairly young.

So Annabelle stepped outside the portrait hole and went looking for Draco.

The castle was the biggest thing she had ever seen in the entire world, so she obviously got lost, until she managed to reach the great hall doors, same ones like last time. Except the scent was much stronger, and it smelled like breakfast.

A grin on her face, Annabelle stepped inside, and to her utter luck, there was Draco, eating alone at the Slytherin table.

She strolled as confidently as she could and sat across from him. He didn't even look up.

"Hey," she said softly, noticing his plate had barely any food on it.

"Hi."

This reminded Annabelle of all the fights Draco and her always had when they were young. This was "the Draco voice." He only used it when he was angry, or pissed off.

Her stomach grumbled, and she tossed a few pancakes on her plate.

"Is that piece of watermelon all you're going to eat?" she asked, eyeing his plate pointedly.

Draco shrugged. "I'm not hungry."

"Of course you're not," she said under her breath. Draco shot her a look.

It was quiet between them, and more people started coming into the hallway. Annabelle noticed Hermione as one of them.

"Yesterday was quite surprising," Draco said quietly, picking at his watermelon with his fork. "I wonder how dad is going to react."

"Are you mad?"

Draco shook his head. "Just shocked, that's all. You can't do anything about it. But the parents won't be happy."

Annabelle looked down at her food, suddenly losing her appetite. She pushed the plate aside.

"You can't eat here," Draco muttered, his fork scratching the plate loudly. "You have to eat at your house table, Belle."

Annabelle knew that Draco wasn't shooing her away; he just didn't want to get in trouble. She nodded and stood up from the table, about to walk away before Draco said, "Don't do anything stupid there. You know how the Gryffindors are, and all."

"Right," Annabelle smiled. Yet, she didn't completely believe the last sentence. So far she only met Hermione, who seemed nice enough. Annabelle will just have to wait and see how the year goes; so far, it's not too great.

---

Haha, here is my third chapter guys! I know I only updated one yesterday but this one is fairly short and has _no_ Harry in it whatsoever so I'd feel bad for making you wait a few days for this one. These are just one of those "forced" chapters where I had to get it out otherwise some things wouldn't make sense.

The reviews I got were awesome! I can't believe I actually have constant readers and everything! And I absolutely can't believe that my story has actually made someone's favorite list! So thank you so much to bookgirl1018! You actually made my day!

Thank you to Rayn1562, Doom Slinger and everyone else who is reading that I don't know! :P Oh, and of course, thanks to the consistent readers that were listed in the chapter before… thank you thank you thank you!

mags


	4. Harry Potter

Disclaimer: I do not own JK Rowling, and her wonderful Harry Potter. :(

- - - -

"Yes, it was amazing! The wand just _flew_ out of his hand! I couldn't believe I disarmed a Death Eater!"

Annabelle was sitting at the Gryffindor table, listening to a story a boy she met was just telling her. His face was red, and a little chubby, but other than that, he seemed like a sweet kid. His name was Neville, and he was telling her about the time last year where he and Harry Potter saved themselves from Voldemort, again. Unfortunately, because of the incident, her father was sent to Azkaban. A wave of anger and sadness washed over her.

"That's amazing Neville," she said kindly, taking a sip of her juice. "Do you want to become an Auror when you grow up?"

Neville blushed more, if that's possible, and he looked down. "Nah, I can't."

He put down his fork and stood up, and so did Annabelle, and they walked out of the hallway together. They already compared schedules together, and they had Defence Against the Dark Arts first. With their books already in their hands, they slowly made their way down into the dungeons. Annabelle heard that Professor Snape wasn't exactly friendly, so she wasn't looking forward to it.

"Why not?" Annabelle asked, but was pushed aside as Crabbe and Goyle walked from behind Neville, and both bumped him in the side, causing his books, ink, and parchment to fall.

They laughed and they walked off, with Annabelle throwing glares at them. She turned around and saw Neville already on the floor, picking up his thing, his whole body shaking.

She bent down and helped clean up the spill of ink, picking up the books angrily. "Idiots. I bet they can't even read," she said irritable.

Neville chuckled. "You guessed right."

Annabelle felt sorry for Neville. She knew how it felt like to be left out, to feel alone.

After they finished cleaning up, they hurried to class so they wouldn't be late.

"You shouldn't let those gorillas get to you Neville," Annabelle said gently. "You know you're better than them."

Neville threw a sideway glance at Annabelle, and he smiled sadly. "I know."

It was at that moment that Annabelle declared a little war for Neville's sake. He didn't know it of course, but he wasn't going to be pushed around by Goyle and Crabbe any longer. Annabelle will make sure of that.

- - - -

It was time for potions with a teacher named Slughorn, but unfortunately he was sick in the hospital wing, and the class ended up with Snape.

Anna had the pleasure to meet Professor Snape two classes ago, and didn't like him one bit. He had a knack of picking on her because she was in Gryffindor, and Draco wouldn't do anything to stop him, which irritated Annabelle even more. Snape also had a knack of scaring Neville, who, by the end of the class ended up looking like a lobster, he was so red.

So, as you can see, Annabelle wasn't looking forward to Potions. She was sitting beside Neville who was whimpering silently beside her, and there was only three other Gryffindors in the room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Annabelle still hasn't met either Ron or Harry, but knows their names thanks to Hermione. Hermione would always be sending her smiles across the classroom, which Annabelle would gladly return. The rest of the class had only a few Slytherins, a few Hufflepuffs, and only one Ravenclaw.

"Turn to page 394," Snape said coldly from behind, startling the whole class. "_Now._"

Everyone opened their books and Snape made his way to the front of the classroom. "The Rotner potion," he said. "A potion which allows the maker to turn into an animal of their choice, for approximately five minutes. I expect this to be difficult, and those who succeed will earn twenty five points to their house. Those who lose, well," he said slowly, looking straight at Neville. "Will have to pay the consequences."

Neville gulped.

"You may begin."

Everyone started scrambling to their feet to get their ingredients, but Annabelle stayed behind and waited until it all cleared.

When the only person left at the cabinet was Harry, she got up from her seat to get the necessary ingredients.

Harry was too concentrated on the different types of Unicorn hair when Annabelle walked behind the cabinet to pick up a cauldron. She didn't have one of her own, so she was hoping it was okay to borrow one of Snape's.

She wasn't paying attention when she lifted it up and walked out of the cabinet, only to get surprised by Harry who was just going to go behind the cabinet. Both didn't noticed where they were going, and they crashed; Annabelle staggered backwards, dropping the cauldron on her toe, and Harry stumbled forwards, into the cabinet, and knocking it down with a loud _bang._

The classroom went quiet and wide eyed, and the look of fury was shown on every part of Snape's face. Annabelle was too occupied trying to tend her hurt toe, and Harry was too busy trying to pick up all the ingredients hastily and putting them back on the shelf, to notice.

"Potter! What do you think you're doing?" Snape said hissed.

Harry lifted his face from the ground, and stared at Snape evenly. "It was an accident," he told him.

"No, no, it was all my fault!" Annabelle said in a small voice. Harry turned to look at her incredulously. "I accidentally bumped into him, causing him to make the cabinet fall. I'm so sorry Professor!" she added quickly, noticing Snapes face was contorted with anger. He took a few calming breaths, and Annabelle felt Harry's eyes still on her.

The entire class seemed so quiet, it seemed as even a pin dropping on the ground would be heard.

"20 points from Gryffindor, for your foolish acting," Snape said sharply, hiding the annoyance in his voice. "And both of you, detention tonight! You're cleaning up this mess."

Annabelle caught Harry's eyes, and mouthed a 'sorry.' Harry only shook his head, smiled quickly, and both walked back to their desks. The entire Slytherin table looked pleased as they sat down. Annabelle could only think about how Harry could smile at a time like this. They were just humiliated, for goodness sake!

For the rest of the class, Annabelle tried to avoid stares and couldn't be happier when the bell for the end of class rang. She quickly grabbed her books, and headed outside, not bothering to wait for Neville.

"Smooth," someone whispered in her ear. Annabelle spun around and came face to face with Blaise.

"Don't remind me," she said embarrassingly. Blaise only laughed. Around the corner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out, all watching her carefully. When Annabelle's eyes caught Harry's, he quickly looked away, perplexed.

Ron was glaring at Blaise, who happily glared back until the trio was out of sight. "Anyways," he said, and Annabelle focused her attention back on him. "Draco wanted to check up on you, asked how your classes are going so far?"

"Well, I hate Snape," she said bitterly, resuming her walk, with Blaise beside her. "And potions for the matter. Other than that, I guess okay. How is your first day?"

For a moment, a surprised look came across Blaise's eyes, as if he weren't expecting that question. But then the snobbish look appeared on his face again.

"It's okay. All Gryffindors loathe Snape; as for us Slytherins, we love him," he grinned.

Annabelle smiled gently. They were now in front of the portrait hole, and Blaise stopped, turning around to go back down already. "Well I'll tell him what you said," he said loudly, walking down the steps. "See you around!"

Annabelle nodded, and entered through the portrait hole. She saw Hermione sitting on the couch by herself, working on some homework thoughtfully.

Taking in a breath, Annabelle walked over to her and greeted her shyly.

"Hey Anna," Hermione said, looking up from her homework, and making room for Annabelle to sit beside her. Annabelle took it and sat down clumsily. "How's your first day coming along?"

"Okay," Annabelle replied.

"Just okay?" Hermione nudged. Annabelle laughed, and the sing song voice in it struck Hermione. "Just a bit strange, that's all."

"I bet," Hermione said, smiling a little too now, "Detention on the first day! How surprising!" she gasped.

They both laughed out loud.

- - - -

Annabelle was walking down the corridor to the dungeons to begin her detention with Snape. There was a jittery feeling in her stomach, and for some reason, she was really nervous. This was going to be the first time she'd talk to Harry since the time on the train, so maybe that's the reason why.

When she entered the classroom she was surprised that Snape wasn't inside yet, so she sat in the nearest desk waiting, as a puppy would do to his owner.

After two minutes the door unlocked, and in came Snape, followed by Harry. Snape's eyes turned to slits when he saw Annabelle, and Annabelle just only realized she was shaking. When Snape walked inside, the whole room's temperature dropped to below 0; at least Annabelle felt that way.

But when she caught Harry's reassuring smile, she suddenly felt warm again.

"You two will clean up that cabinet until there will be no more shattered glass, spilled contents, or even a single unicorn hair. I don't care how long it will take – it must be done. I have a few errands to run, so I'll be dropping in and out of the room."

Annabelle and Harry nodded, after a short pause.

"Also," Snape continued, now an evil smile pursuing his lips, "This will be done by hand. No magic."

Harry groaned, but Annabelle remained silent. She's been doing a lot of things without magic, just before yesterday.

"So with that as a final note, please hand me your wands," Snape said, extending his hand. Annabelle walked forwards and handed him her wand obediently, and Harry did so as well but much more stubbornly, and he waited a long pause until he was forced to hand his wand over.

Snape snickered, hid the wands in his cloak, and walked outside, stealing a final glance their way before locking the door.

Harry sighed, and put his hands in his pocket. "Well then," he said, eyeing the cabinet unwillingly.

"This will be fun," Annabelle said sarcastically, barely audible over a whisper. Harry must have heard her, because he laughed.

She bent down in front of the cabinet, and started picking up shattered glass. When she was around Harry Potter, she felt like an idiot. She was constantly messing up in front of him, humiliating herself, and somehow managing to hurt him. First she pushed the door open in his face, then she hit the suitcase on his head, and now she managed to crash into him, causing the whole cabinet to fall. And it's only been two days.

"So," Harry said, bending down and helping her, "You're name is Annabelle?"

Annabelle nodded her head; she didn't want to say anything to embarrass herself.

"That's a nice name."

Annabelle felt herself blush, and concentrated on the floor, not letting Harry see that what he had said made her turn red.

After a minute of regaining herself, she looked at Harry. "You're name is Harry?"

Harry raised an eyebrow in question, and nodded.

"That's a – " It took a moment for Annabelle to find a good word. "Cool name," she finished.

Harry laughed again. "Thanks."

An hour passed as they cleaned up the floor, and Annabelle was just about to pick up the last piece of glass, before slicing her finger open.

"Ow," she said, her finger jumping to her lips. Harry looked up from his spill, and his eyes widened a bit when he saw the cut.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned. Annabelle nodded but he crawled over to her anyways, and she held up the finger for him to examine.

"You have a piece of glass in there," he observed, grabbing her hand and putting it into his. "Do you want me to take it out for you?"

He lifted his face from her hands, and was looking straight at Annabelle's eyes. Heat was slowly starting to fall on her face, and she nodded wordlessly.

"Okay," Harry said, leading her to a better light. His forehead creased as he focused on her hand. "Sorry if this will hurt."

Annabelle felt him gently brush his fingers over her cut, and before she knew it, his grip on her hand was released.

"Thanks," she smiled, her eyes twinkling. "It wouldn't have been nice to go to the Hospital Wing on my first day here."

"Yeah, it wouldn't."

Both of them walked back to the cabinet, talking more animatedly then they did before, and by the end of detention, Annabelle could have sworn that was the best detention of her life.

They received their wands from Snape, whose face was twisted because he couldn't point out anything wrong they have done, and walked outside to the corridor.

"Are you hungry?" Harry asked Annabelle, as they neared the Great Hall doors. Annabelle was about to say 'yes', but stopped herself when she saw Draco eating there with his friends. She didn't want him to catch her walking in with Harry.

"Not really, I have lots of homework to do, so I'll see you later?"

"Right, bye Annabelle."

- - - -

Alright guys! Here is my fourth chapter! (:

I wasn't going to originally upload it today, it's just that I've had such a good day today so I decided to add another one! I love how Annabelle embarasses herself in front of Harry all the time, it's just like me! Except I embarass myself all the time, so it kinda sucks :(

ANYWAYS, goodness gracious me! I've been added to a favourite story AND author and I swear I couldn't stop singing after that. So thank you so much to BellaCullen2312! I never thought my stories would go this well, and it's just the nicest surprise ever! Especially when I'm having a bad day. So thank you, thank you!

And of course to the new readers Chelsea2013, XOXmaximumcullenXOX, and to the consistent ones especially. I wish I could express my gratitude in a way that doesn't involve saying thank you all the time - but seriously, it means a lot. I'm only at four chapters and I have like 10 subscribed readers and 9 reviews. That's really something, and I am honestly so thankful for it!

Okay, I'll shut up now.

MAGS


	5. A Meeting With Dumbledore

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!

- - - -

_Dearest Annabelle,_

_If it'd be all right with you, I'd like to have a little chit chat at my office tonight. Don't worry, you're not in any sort of trouble. Please meet me at 7:00 sharp._

_Dumbledore_

_P.S I like __**Fizzbizzies**__. _

So that's where Annabelle was right now. Trying to locate Dumbledore's office, and she didn't think she was doing too great at the moment. She searched the entire first floor, but there was no door with a sign, "Headmaster's Office."

She was about to give up when she saw Draco across the hallway.

"Draco!" she said full of relief, yet her voice sounded desperate. Draco's head snapped up into her direction with confusion in his eyes. "I need help!"

He gazed at her for a second longer, before walking towards her. Annabelle noticed he was really wet and in his Quidditch clothes, so he was probably just coming back from practice.

"Yeah?"

"Dumbledore's office. Do you know where it is?"

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm supposed to meet him!" Annabelle said, shoving the letter underneath his nose. She was starting to freak out a little because she was late.

"Follow the corridor and turn right when you come to a dead end. At the end of that one, there will be a statue of a gargoyle. Tell it the password – "

"What password?!" Annabelle interrupted.

Draco looked confused now. "Isn't it on the paper….?"

Annabelle scanned the letter mildly, and finally came to the last part. "YES! It's here! Okay, go on?"

"And just go in. It's right there," he said reassuringly.

"Thanks Draco!" Annabelle yelled, already running down that corridor.

She finally reached the gargoyle, bent down and out of breath. She straightened up, and with her most daring voice, said "Fizzbizzies."

The gargoyle sprung into life, and it started to move upward, so she jumped on in with it. When they finally stopped, she came face to face with a door, so she knocked.

"Come in."

Hesitantly, Annabelle opened the door and gasped when she saw what was inside. The entire place was – literally – magical. There was a phoenix by the desk, lots of bookcases, some weird instruments and just… so much. She even spotted the sorting hat in the far right corner.

"Good Evening, Miss Malfoy," a tired voice said. Annabelle spun around wildly, trying to find the voice, and finally saw Dumbledore, standing by some basin in the shadows.

"Hi," Annabelle whispered, fear beginning to cling to her chest. Was she going to be expelled?

Dumbledore walked over to his desk, and gestured at the seat across from his. Annabelle took the seat stiffly.

"You are, of course, wondering why I've asked you to meet me," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling and his wrinkles evident.

"A little," Annabelle admitted.

"Well," Dumbledore put his hands together, and stared evenly at her. "I think that there's a lot for you to know."

When Annabelle didn't say anything, Dumbledore continued. "You are the brother of Draco, I presume?"

"Twin," she clarified.

"Ahh," Dumbledore smiled, and Annabelle noticed it was crooked. "Twins. Come to think of it, you do look quite like him."  
Annabelle smiled lightly.

"I believe you have trouble producing magic. Is that true, Annabelle?"

"Call me Anna," Annabelle said, then mentally slapped herself for saying that to a teacher. Then she numbly agreed. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Anna," Dumbledore said softly, and she flinched when he used the nickname. "You might not believe what I'm going to tell you. I'm not sure if I even believe it yet. But I'm going to explain to you why your magic is good, and find out why you get those massive headaches."

"How did you know that?" Annabelle interrupted with wide eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled but did not answer. This is weird.

"Firstly," he began. "You are not a full witch. You're weak with magic, but much stronger with something else."

He paused, and Annabelle raised her eyebrow in confusion. Still, she was eager to hear how she was strong.

Dumbledore leaned forward. "You have this ability, Anna. You're magic is sucked up into this one ability, and in my opinion, that's a very good thing."

"Ability?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said quietly. "The ability is, well, like a shield. It protects yourself from anything. The unforgivable curses, and normal day-to-day curses."

Annabelle thought back to the time her brother used magic to grow herself a moustache.

Dumbledore laughed. "Yes, but there is a way you have to learn how to use it. I'm thinking that if you get stronger, then you won't be able to protect just yourself, but everyone around you."

"Oh," Annabelle choked on that one word. What is she supposed to say?

Dumbledore waited a few minutes for everything to sink in.

"What does that have to do with my headaches?" she asked.

"Alas, the question I do not have an answer for," Dumbledore sat back in his chair. "But we can figure it out. I think this is too much for you to handle at once, so we'll have another meeting soon to discuss it further, and then we can go into practice."

"Practice?"

Dumbledore eyed her surprisingly before calming his expression. "Ah yes, don't you want to improve you shield?"

Annabelle looked down at the ground. "I don't really care," she admitted.

It was quiet for a bit, but Dumbledore stood up.

"I think our next meeting should be somewhere in December, so we can start practicing after the new years, what do you think?"

"Uhm, sure. I guess," Annabelle said, standing up also.

She turned to walk out of the door, but heard Dumbledore say quietly, "You're an amazing witch Anna. You really are."

She flashed him a quick smile, and then closed the door.

- - - -

"Annabelle? Annabelle!" some familiar voice was shouting Annabelle's name down the corridor. She was on her way to Charms, and wasn't looking forward to being late.

But she turned around anyways, her books almost tumbling out of her hands, and saw Harry running down happily, a big smile on his lips.

Annabelle couldn't help but grin, his face was so funny.

"Hey!" she called, stopping in her tracks so Harry could catch up. When he did, he took a moment to catch his breath. Then they resumed walking.

"How's the first week been?" Harry asked jokingly, already knowing it was horrible.

Annabelle sighed. "I'm just so glad it's a Friday."

"Yeah me too."

After a pause, he said, "Hey, so are you busy this weekend?" as they turned the corner. They were almost in the classroom.

"Just homework, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Well, there are Quidditch tryouts for Gryffindor. You should come and try playing!"

"I'd rather not," Annabelle said solemnly, already a disaster forming in her mind. "I've never played before."

"Exactly why you should try!" Harry beamed, his voice growing louder. Annabelle's face flushed a bit, but didn't let Harry see.

"Honestly Harry, not me. It's just not going to work," she persisted.

"Come on Annabelle, you know it will be fun!"

"No," she said firmly.

Harry looked at her bag for a second, and in a flash he took out her charms textbook. Annabelle gasped and quickly made a grab for it, but he pulled it away.

"Harry!" she cried, fearing the bell will ring any second. She came up to him, and he just merely lifted the textbook above his head in the air, and Annabelle was trying to jump and grab it. Unfortunately, he was too tall, and Harry just kept laughing.

"This isn't funny!" she growled, her face flushing harder by the second. She was determined not to be late for charms class.

"Just say you'll go," he said happily. "Say you'll go, and you'll get your book back."

Annabelle groaned, but seeing no way out of this, she nodded. "Fine. I'll go. Can I have my book now, please?"

"Promise?"

"Yes," she snapped.

Harry smiled and handed her the book, which she ripped out of his hands and stuffed in her bag angrily.

She stomped all the way into the classroom, with Harry just strolling merrily behind her. Unfortunately, when they were sitting down, Harry made Annabelle laugh so hard she couldn't help but not stay mad at him. She's never played Quidditch before, and is quite scared of heights, so she has no idea how she'll manage to keep her promise.

----

Here's a little surprise to you guys! :) I know I've uploaded one just yesterday but see, I'll be busy on the weekend so you won't be able to see one until like tuesday or something. So here you go! (This actually was one of my favourite scenes between Harry and Annabelle, just to let you guys know. :P)

It's only been one night, and I've already got new readers! So thank you so much to Lord Rayn, sammiegirl, Krotchtoastlover and to the two new readers who've been so kind and added me to their favourite stories list... Peppy McGee and Pentagris! Thank you so much - it feels so great to make your guys' favourite! It's awesome because it's only been one night and I've had so many new subscribers! So thank you thank you thank you! Oh, and I can't forget the loyal readers who've been waiting for each chapter and sticking with me for I think... two weeks already? SO THANK YOU!!

MAGS


	6. The Enemies

As promised!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much to Spelllesswonder29, fanpire.x, cocogirl198, and I must say BellaCullen2312 for your awesome reviews and everything! You guys are amazing 8)

- - - -

"Yeah so anyways, it doesn't matter. It all comes down to the fact that I'm trying out for Quidditch tomorrow."

Draco laughed. "Belle, you've never even played Quidditch before! Do you even know what a quaffle is?"

Annabelle thought about it for a second, and took a wild guess. "A ball?"

Draco stared at her as if she were stupid. He put his hand over her forehead, and laughed again, this time more loudly.

"You're pathetic," he told her.

Annabelle groaned annoyingly and put her head in her arms. Draco was right; she didn't know a thing.

They were outside right now, in front of the lake, and Draco was skipping stones in the water while Annabelle sat lying down on her stomach and having a book open in front of her. She wasn't exactly reading, more like looking at the words, and she was having trouble concentrating because the sun kept bothering her vision. In the distance, Annabelle could spot Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise making their way over to her. She shot glares at Crabbe and Goyle when they approached, but they just looked at her. They didn't want to hang around Annabelle because she was a Gryffindor, but after a bit of persuading from Draco, they agreed to be around her stiffly. Not that she wanted to be around them herself; each one of them was self conceited and stupid. She couldn't understand why Draco befriended them anyways, but chose to keep quiet.

"Hey Dracey," Pansy said charmingly, "How are you?"

When she reached him, she threw her arms around him messily, and they lightly kissed for a minute. While this was happening, Annabelle made sure she was focusing on the lake in front of her. Blaise sat down beside her, also disgusted.

"What book are you reading?" he asked her.

Annabelle shrugged. "I don't even know."

He smirked and pulled the book away from her. "Quidditch through the Ages," he observed, an impressed smile on his face, "You play Quidditch?"

Annabelle shook her head. "I don't have a stinking clue what it even is. But I made a promise I would, and I don't like backing away from my promises."

"Who'd you promise?" Crabbe grunted from the side, interrupting the entire conversation completely. Annabelle's eyes immediately narrowed to slits.

"Harry Potter," she answered evenly. She knew Crabbe and Goyle were confused to why she hated them so much, but she wasn't going to give them any mercy – for Neville's sake.

Draco immediately pulled away from the kiss, causing Pansy to fall, and all of their expressions became solemn.

"Potter?" Draco spat.

Annabelle raised her eyebrow in confusion, and again her cheeks began to redden. "Saint Potter?" he repeated.

Annabelle nodded her head wordlessly.

"What the bloody hell Anna," Blaise cut in, his voice hard, "He's such an ass! Why would you keep your promise to _him_?"

Annabelle's eyes widened. "Don't call him that," she said quietly, her head down.

"I'll call him what I want to," Blaise said, standing up. "Ass! Ass! Ass! Ass!" he constantly repeated, mocking her.

Anger flashed through Annabelle, and suddenly she was on her feet, her fist in the air. She was about to punch him, straight in the nose, but someone's hands grabbed her wrists, and pulled her back.

Blaise watched Annabelle, his eyes in shaped in horror, as Draco tried to calm her down. Annabelle only then realized she was shaking, her face was red and sweaty, and she felt like she was about to faint.

"Shh," Draco said soothingly, placing her down on the ground gently. "Calm down."

"Blaise!" he snapped.

Blaise turned to look at Draco, his nostrils flaring. "What the hell was that about?!"

Annabelle had her face on the grass, cooling herself down. What she heard was a little muffled.

"Listen, all four of you," Draco said, huddling them in closer. "This is the reason why Belle hasn't been going to school. We don't know what's wrong with her, but if her anger reaches up to max, she starts to lose control and hyperventilating. She sweats, turns red, and in a matter of time would faint. If it's really bad, she'll have trouble waking up, or not waking up at all. The thing is, is that it's scary. She could really kill herself, and as much as I hate Potter, you have to do it calmly. She's really weak right now, just give her some rest."

"I'm fine," Annabelle croaked from the ground. She didn't have the energy to get back up. Draco shook his head at her, then turned his face towards his friends again. "Promise you won't tell anyone of this," he said sternly. "Our parents didn't want people to know."

All four of them nodded their heads speechlessly.

Blaise, being the gentlemen he was, helped Annabelle up, and apologized.

"It's okay Blaise," Annabelle smiled weakly, as reassuringly as she could. Blaise just only looked at her, with a more worried expression on his face.

"I'll be fine, it wasn't that bad."

Blaise nodded. "I'm so sorry Annabelle."

"You already said that. It's okay."

- - - -

Annabelle walked through the portrait hole into the common room, and with a quick glance around, she saw Neville sitting at a desk in the corner.

She walked over to him carefully, not wanting to disturb anything he was doing. When she reached the table, he looked up.

"Hey."

"Hi," he said, patting the chair next to him. Annabelle took the seat, and watched as he was scribbling down some Transfiguration homework. Neither of them said anything, and Annabelle didn't really want to from the encounter she had with Blaise before. Also, her stomach was fluttering with butterflies for the tryouts tomorrow. For the six hundredth time, she mentally slapped herself for promising Harry she would tryout.

"Did you hear?" Neville asked, interrupting her thoughts. She raised an eyebrow.

"About what?"

"The ball," he said.

Annabelle cocked her head to the side. "There's a ball?"

"Yeah," Neville said, closing his books and wiping some sweat off his forehead. "There's going to be a ball, uniting all the Beauxbatons, and Durmstrangs together in honor of Cedric's memory. It's going to be like the Yule Ball back in 4th year, except all ages are permitted to go."

"Oh," Annabelle said, completely confused. She had absolutely no idea what a Yule Ball was, and what those two schools were.

Neville, noticing Annabelle's expression, continued. "A Yule Ball is an extremely formal ball. There's more to it, but I'm really tired to explain it all."

Annabelle shifted in her seat. "So boys have to go with girls and stuff?"

Neville raised an eyebrow. "Well – yeah, I guess."

He glanced around the common room, then his eyes met Annabelle's, who was still lost in confusion.

He smiled. "Don't worry, Dumbledore will explain it all tomorrow."

Annabelle nodded, but she still didn't completely understand.

A ball, an extremely formal ball where boys asked girls to dance. It sounded just like one of the events that took place in her many books she once read, and for once, the sound of a ball just made her feel even more normal. Maybe she'll be asked by one of the boys, and maybe she'll have to wear a beautiful gown that makes people turn their heads when she walks by. Slowly, Annabelle started to get excited.

- - - -

"Aw don't worry Anna," Hermione was saying, as they were making their way towards the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "You'll do fine. And I'll be in the stands, watching, and wishing you the best of luck."

The thought of Hermione's friendliness washed over Annabelle in gratitude, but soon the feeling was lost, when a wave of nervousness hit her again.

"Thanks Hermione, I'll keep an eye out on you."

Hermione smiled warmly and sat across from Harry and Ron, leaving a space open for Annabelle. When Annabelle sat down, it was only then that she realized she was trembling.

The piercing green eyes that Annabelle soon started to love looked up, and Harry smiled when he saw her so nervous. Except the smile wasn't mean, or forced, it was just reassuring.

Ron, by the looks of it, was also pretty green in the face, and only had a piece of toast on his plate, that looked untouched. Annabelle felt like she could completely relate to him right now.

"You're nervous too, Ron?" Hermione asked, grabbing a whole lot of food. She sighed annoyingly. "I couldn't fall asleep at all last night thanks to the stupid light Anna had turned on while reading Quidditch Through the Ages."

Harry grinned. "Good book, eh?" He looked at Annabelle, who smiled a little.

"Well, I had to have some idea of what this game is about," Annabelle replied, her stomach flipping around right now. "I think I'm going to try out as a chaser, what about you?"

Harry looked down at his plate awkwardly, and Ron answered for him. "He's already on the team. He's captain."

Annabelle's eyes widened. "You're captain?!"

Harry nodded wordlessly.

"Oh this is going to be so embarrassing," Annabelle complained.

Before either Ron, Hermione, or Harry were able to answer, their faces darkened as a shadow hovered behind Annabelle. The expression they had on their faces was frightening, especially Harry's. Ron was already pulling out his wand, and Annabelle slowly turned in confusion, her eye's meeting Draco's.

Except unlike her, Draco wasn't happy to see her. Instead, he was glaring back at Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Annabelle fidgeted a bit in her seat silently, unsure of what to do.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry spoke first.

Annabelle winced a little when Harry used Draco's last name. It was as if he was speaking to her, except she never heard his voice so grim.

"That's none of your business, is it Potter?" Draco spat back. Hermione straightened her back a little, trying to come off stronger.

Draco noticed the green look on Ron's face.

"Aw," he said, mocking the voice of a three year old girl, "Is Weasley nervous for the tryouts? Or is your face scrunched up like that because of the smell of the Mudblood?"

Almost immediately, Ron and Harry were on their feet, wands raised angrily at Draco, with Hermione trying to push them down.

"Stop it, it's not worth it, honestly guys – " she was trying to say, but both were tugging her off, snarling heavily.

It was only then that Annabelle realized that Draco was talking about Hermione. She was trained to hate Mudbloods, but she couldn't keep up with this rule right now. She turned around to face her brother.

He laughed coldly when he saw her with them.

"Oh dear, _Annabelle_," Draco said, pronouncing her name effectively. "If I were you I'd choose who you'd sit with, you might get some dirty blood over you."

This angered Harry and Ron so much, they were trying to shoot spells, but Hermione kept blocking them, trying to calm them down.

But Draco was already walking out with his head held high, and Annabelle was glaring at him.

"Jerk," she muttered, stabbing her fork into her pancakes. Annabelle never knew Draco could be so _mean._ Well, she should have known, but still. Her temper started to rise.

Harry and Ron regained their seats with an irritated expression on their faces, and Hermione was looking down at her food.

No one said anything.

Annabelle felt the awkwardness drown her and she realized just then that neither of them knew that Draco was her brother. Not that she wanted to tell them, because in all honestly, she'd like to keep it a secret for now.

- - - -


	7. Practice Makes Perfect!

Dislaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! :) [Well people who live in Canada, that is]

Thank you so much to 93, Spellesswonder29, BellaCullen2312, BrknFire, pinksonic2, and Twilighter31 (MONIKA :D) You guys are what keeps me going! :]

Anyways, on with the story! :)

- - - -

Annabelle was making her way to the Quidditch pitch, fighting off the violent butterflies that were attacking her stomach. Stupid, stupid Annabelle. She should have never promised Harry anything.

Speaking of Harry, he was right beside her with Ron and Hermione. They were all walking there together, and some of their bitterness faded because they were talking normally now.

Hermione was laughing at a joke Harry made, while Ron and Annabelle stared straight ahead, wanting to get this over with.

When they reached the stands, Hermione quickly hugged Harry and Ron, then finally Annabelle.

"Good luck," she whispered when she pulled away. With one last final smile, she climbed up to the stands.

Ron now looked almost like Christmas. His whole face was green, but his ears and cheeks were bright red. Annabelle probably looked the same, without the blush.

"Right," Harry said, glancing around the pitch. There were fifty different people there, ready for tryouts. "We'll do chasers first."

He walked to the middle of the crowd with Ron and Annabelle trailing behind him, and yelled orders. The chasers were split into groups of three, and had to play in the air for about ten minutes. They'd shoot at the empty goal posts, and avoid bludgers.

Unfortunately, Annabelle was within one of the first groups.

Harry handed her a broom with a quick confident smile, which she returned uneasily. Then, on his whistle, she and two other girls flew up in the air.

The thought of flying was exhilarating for Annabelle. The air felt cool against her warm cheeks, and the butterflies just kept getting jumpier. The broomstick itself wasn't that hard to control, just scary. She looked down, and almost immediately wished she hadn't. One wrong move and she'd be on her death bed.

Harry blew his whistle again, and the chasers were signaled to fly around the pitch, and pass the quaffle to each other. Annabelle had it in her arms first, and started flying ahead, and passed it to a red headed girl a few meters in front of her. Her pass was a little wobbly, shaky, but it reached the intended target. Then she flew forwards to receive another pass from a black haired girl. The throw was a hard one, and when Annabelle caught it, she lost balance, causing the Quaffle to fall down.

Harry whistled again, and directed for them to start again. This time, Annabelle was much less confident.

The red haired girl started with the quaffle who threw it at Annabelle, and Annabelle thought she caught it, for a mere second, and then the quaffle dropped. There was a series of laughter from the bottom of the pitch.

_What are you doing here Annabelle? Why are you humiliating yourself?_

But again, Harry blew the whistle, and now bludgers were sent in the air. The red haired girl once again threw the quaffle at Annabelle, and Annabelle zoomed as fast as she could, blood heating up her face as she reached out to grab the quaffle…

And then something hit her broom hard, causing her to nearly fall off, and you guessed it, drop the quaffle.

The ten minutes felt really long. Annabelle kept dropping the quaffle, and the only shot she got in the goalposts was because the quaffle bounced off the red headed's head and landed squarely inside. People were laughing hard by the time Annabelle reached the ground, and she felt close to tears.

So instead of facing Harry, all the bewildered faces, and being embarrassed once more, she dropped her broom on the ground and ran out of the pitch, holding in her tears. When she reached the castle, she hid herself in the library, and cried.

It was stupid of her, and she was acting like a big baby. But she couldn't help it. It was only her first week and she already was angry at her brother, humiliated herself, and got a detention. What was wrong with her?

"Hey," someone said, interrupting Annabelle's sobs. Annabelle recognized the voice as Ron's, but didn't want to look up. She probably looked like one heck of a mess.

"Hi," she said, hating the defeated tone in her voice.

Ron made himself comfortable beside her on the floor. "Don't worry Annabelle. You were just nervous. I'm sure with a little practice, you'll get better," he said reassuringly.

Annabelle realized it was the first time she ever had a conversation with just Ron alone. But then a lightbulb flashed in her head and she looked up at Ron.

"Ron, could you help me?" she asked.

Ron looked confused. "Uh, yeah okay. Er – with what?"

"Quidditch," Annabelle answered. "I could practice on you, and you could get some practice in too. Then I can prove that I don't suck, and I can turn everything else around. Please," she added desperately, seeing the unsure look on Ron's face.

"I'm not so sure…."

"Please Ron! This means a lot to me! I don't want to be known as the worst Quidditch Player ever!"

Ron chuckled. "That's Hermione."

Annabelle smiled. "Please Ron, I'll do anything! Really!"

Ron merely gazed at her, before scrunching up his expression in concentration. Finally, he exasperated, and smiled a little.

"All right, fine. But only for a couple of days. I'm really busy with homework, and all."

Annabelle beamed. "Thanks Ron! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" she jumped, already feeling a bit better. She maybe could somehow turn this situation around, and she couldn't wait to do so.

Ron grinned. "Come on, time for lunch. I'm starving."

And with that, his stomach grumbled loudly.

- - - -

It was Tuesday, and the entire time since Saturday Annabelle was doing the best to avoid Harry and sometimes Hermione so she wouldn't have to explain her embarrassment. Instead, she only spoke to Ron, who assigned their first practice for Quidditch tonight, and of course, Neville.

The whole school was sitting in the Great Hall together, awaiting Dumbledore because he had a "special announcement to make."

Neville was absolutely sure it had something to do with this Yule Ball or whatever.

Annabelle had grew much more attached to Neville than she had with anyone else. He, in fact, was there at her tryouts but only made her feel better afterwards. He didn't lie, he told her that she wasn't that great, but then he reassured her that everyone's bad at first, and told her about the time when he was on a broomstick for the first time and broke his arm.

By the end of the whole conversation, Annabelle was laughing with tears in her eyes. Right now, she sat beside Neville and was folding a piece of napkin, when finally a loud voice rang through the hallway.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore said, gaining the quiet of the hallway. No one said a word. "Thank you. I have an exciting announcement to make. This year, something special will happen. On December the twentieth, the last day of school before the holidays, we will have a dance."

There was an outbreak of gasps from the girls, and groaning from the boys. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he chuckled. "This isn't any type of dance, I assure you. You might be lucky and meet some of your old friends, because this will be a re-union of the Yule Ball."

More gasping and suddenly the entire hallway broke into excited voices. Annabelle grew more confused, as Neville played with his fork nervously.

"Silence!" Dumbledore said loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. It took a few moments for the room to quiet, but Dumbledore continued. "The Durmstrangs, and the Beauxbatons will all come here for the dance, and this will be a dance in honor of Cedric Diggory's death. Once again, you must be a 4th year or higher to attend this dance. The champions that were selected two years ago, will come again even though they graduated from school already. It's all to honor Cedric Diggory, and I'm sure he'll be happy about it. We'll have two extra Hogsmeade trips for you to pick out your formal wear. Any more information, will be posted onto the bulletins."

When Dumbledore left his stand, Annabelle nudged Neville playfully. "So, who are you going to ask?"

Neville blushed deeply and shrugged. "I don't know yet. What about you?"

Annabelle didn't expect this sort of question to come her way, but she answered quickly. "I don't know. I think it'd be sort of embarrassing to ask someone, because probably no one would want to go with me." She felt herself turn red and looked down.

But Neville laughed out loud, causing a few faces to turn his way.

"Oh I could name a couple of guys who'd kill to go with you," he told her, smiling broadly.

"Yeah right." Annabelle rolled her eyes.

"Really! Want me to name some?"

"Neville, this is stupid. Can we not talk about this?"

But Neville was already pointing down the table at a boy with short brown hair and a somewhat sweet face. Annabelle recognized him as Seamus Finnigan.

"See him? That's Seamus. Apparently he fancied you since you got off the train. I'm betting you five gallons he'll ask you to the dance."

As Annabelle watched Seamus, Seamus was discussing the dance animatedly to Dean. She only met him once or twice because she has a few classes with him, and never once thought of the idea. When Seamus turned around and saw her staring, she blushed a little and smiled, and he grinned. She looked down at her plate.

"And by the looks of it," Neville whispered in her ear. "You like him too."

"Neville!" Annabelle cried, kicking his foot. Neville laughed. "I'm just kidding."

"Fine, master of love. If you're so smart, what's this thing with Luna? Is it true that you're developing a little crush on her?"

Ron had told her this on Sunday, when they were working on some homework in the common room. She only saw Luna a couple of times, and it always was a weird experience. Annabelle grinned satisfyingly when she saw Neville turn into deep, deep shade of red.

"I don't like her," he insisted, dabbing his fork in his chicken.

Annabelle didn't say anything, but kept smiling.

When Neville regained his color, his face suddenly lightened up. "What about you and Harry? Do you like him?"

Annabelle knew right away that she gave him his satisfaction when she blushed deeper than he had. But she tried to cover her face with her hair looking down, and quickly calmed herself. "Neville, honestly. Harry is the last person I would go to the dance with."

"Yeah right," he snickered.

Annabelle grew to notice that Neville acted much more confident around her than he does around anyone else. She liked this, because she was trying hard to change Neville in the better.

"What makes you think I like him?"

Neville laughed. "Everything. Annabelle, seriously. You're taking extra practice for Quidditch so you could impress him. Whenever you're around him you act like a clumsy girl and you're always so red when I bring him up."

Annabelle didn't know what to say to this, but she was sure she didn't fancy Harry. When she didn't say anything for an entire minute, Neville exasperated.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Didn't want to hit a nerve."

Annabelle stood up, and motioned for Neville to do so too. "It's okay. But it's not true, so let's not talk about it, okay?"

Neville smiled, but nodded agreeably. "Fine."

"Hey Longbottom!" someone yelled from across the hallway where Annabelle and Neville were walking. Neville turned around, and Annabelle almost immediately wished he hadn't when a pie came soaring and hit him straight in the face. In the distance, she could hear Crabbe and Goyle laughing.

Neville stood still, trying to wipe off the frosting off his face, and Annabelle tried to help him. When she was picking off the cherries, Crabbe and Goyle walked up from behind her and pushed her into Neville, causing her face to hit Neville's, and receiving a whole face full of pie. Crabbe and Goyle ran off, and Annabelle tried to get off of Neville.

"Sorry," she stammered, wiping the pie off her eyes so she can see.

He helped her get up, and for the first time Annabelle clearly saw Neville's face. The pie was extremely heavy at his mouth which made him look like he had a beard. Overall, he looked hilarious and Annabelle started to laugh.

Neville eyed her incredulously for a moment, before he too, started to laugh.

"This is good pie," Annabelle said, licking her mouth in between of fits of laughter.

Neville agreed. "Couldn't be any better."

After a few more minutes of laughter, they went into the Gryffindor common room so they could wash up.

- - - -


	8. An Upcoming Hogsmeade Trip

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. :(

Okay guys, part eight! And I'm uploading today because it's my birthday! Well, the ending of it at least. Finally fifteen, though I do feel kind of old. :P

Anyways, so thanks once again for the reviews, and for subscribing, I'd list all the people except I have to go like in a few seconds, so yeah.

Thanks for the review and rates! You are all awesome :)

- - - -

Ron was laughing. And he wasn't lightly laughing. He was laughing so much it looked like he'd faint and fall off his broom.

Annabelle groaned annoyingly. "Shut up," she muttered, holding on to her broom tightly.

She hasn't been in the air for five minutes and she's already managed to almost fall off and hit an innocent first year with a quaffle.

Ron was at the goal posts, now developing a slight color of red. Annabelle chose to ignore him and hung in the air absent-mindedly, waiting for Ron to stop. When he did, he looked like he's lost all sense of air.

"You know, you laugh at stupid things," Annabelle told him.

"So you're calling yourself stupid?" he teased, flying closer to him.

Annabelle shot him a look. "I'm joking," he smiled.

Annabelle sighed. "Look, I need to get some practice in. So go regain your spot at the hoops or whatever and I'm going to start throwing the quaffle at you."

"I'd be more scared if the quaffle hit you then if it did to me."

Annabelle, annoyed now, threw the quaffle she had in her arms at him, but missed by a long shot.

Ron just grinned, and flew back into his position.

"Why are you practicing this anyways?" he yelled from the top, as Annabelle lowered her broom to pick up the quaffle. She hid it safely in between her arms and flew back up.

"Because I don't want to look like an idiot," she said.

Ron was going to say something to this, but judging by the look on Annabelle's face, he decided not to.

Forty five minutes and two bruises later, Ron and Annabelle flew down. Annabelle was happy while Ron was walking grudgingly. Near the end of their practice, Annabelle managed to hit Ron in the head with the quaffle when he wasn't looking. He got angry and demanded to know what her problem was, and she told him it was for his laughing. He tried to push her off her broom, missed, and fell off his own instead. That resulted in two bruises.

They were going their separate ways now, and Ron was muttering darkly.

"Right. See you tomorrow Ron!" Annabelle said, as she approached the girl's change room. She flashed him a big smile.

Ron grunted once, and left.

Annabelle was really glad that Ron was helping her with Quidditch. In a way, she thought she improved a bit today because unlike at tryouts, she managed to get two goals in the goal posts!

She took a shower in the empty room, and changed in some jeans and a T-shirt. She was about to walk out of the door, when she noticed her reflection in the mirror.

She stopped for a second, and retracted her steps. Closely, she looked at the mirror. Annabelle saw a girl with blond golden hair just tumbling down beneath her shoulders, curling slightly. A girl with such electrifying blue eyes, it made your own water. A girl with pale skin, but the one thing she focused the most on was her smile. It was years since she saw herself smile like this before – she was so different she could mistake herself for someone else. For once in her life, she was happy.

- - - -

It's been two weeks and Annabelle's magic was not improving. She was inside her charms class, attempting to levitate a feather beside Flitwick, who was watching her intently. She was trying hard not to show him that she had no idea what she was doing, but by the annoyance in his eyes she knew she was failing. After ten more minutes of doing nothing but wasting time, Flitwick gave up.

"Bloody – I don't understand. Why can't you simply produce a levitating charm?" he asked, straining his voice to make it sound calm. Annabelle knew the answer, but she decided not to say it out loud.

"I'm sorry Professor, I really wish I could get the hang of it," Annabelle said apologetically, looking down on the floor. She was in sixth year and she couldn't produce a single levitating charm.

"No, no, Annabelle," Flitwick said, shaking his head. "What you need is extra practice. Come to my classroom on Thursday nights and we'll see how you do."

The entire class suddenly burst in laughter and Flitwick, small as he was, was having trouble to quiet them down.

"Quiet class!" he squeaked, among all the other loud voices. Annabelle took this as her cue to leave. She redeemed her spot in between Seamus and Dean. The only reason to why she was sitting with them was because they were the only Gryffindors in the classroom. The rest of the class consisted of mainly Hufflepuffs, a few Ravenclaws, and no Slytherins.

"Magic isn't at the greatest yet, is it?" Seamus asked gently. Annabelle shook her head sadly.

"Awe, don't worry Anna," Dean said, using the nickname Annabelle gave for him. She felt the corner of her lips move up at that. "It's bound to get better. It's only been two weeks, this stuff takes time."

Flitwick was now passing out worksheets to be completed for homework by Friday.

"Yeah, I know," Annabelle said, more to herself than to Dean or Seamus. "I just wish I could do some magic already."

Seamus smiled understandingly for Annabelle's sake, who attempted to smile back.

"Anyways, the results for my OWLS came last night," he said, already a grin forming on his lips. Annabelle heard of OWLS before – they were big examinations you had to take in your fifth year at Hogwarts. But Draco had already gotten his in the summer, so she was a little confused to why his arrived so late. Maybe different people got theirs at different times.

"And?" Dean asked, from the other side of her. He was looking at the papers Flitwick handed out in confusion.

"I didn't fail at all – not even History of Magic!" Seamus exclaimed, a bright and happy smile plastered on his face. Annabelle couldn't help but laugh, and Dean was already giving Seamus a high five.

"Congratulations!" she said, punching him playfully on the arm. His smile grew even wider.

"Thanks Anna! I'm so happy! I think we should celebrate this. Next Hogsmeade Trip, butter beer is on me guys," he said.

"When _is_ the next Hogsmeade Trip?" Annabelle asked, as Dean passed her a whole new package of notes. She looked at it glumly.

"Next week on Saturday. So, do you want to go then, Anna?"

"Sure!"

"Boys!" Flitwick scolded. His eyes grew wide when he saw Annabelle. "And, er, girl," he coughed. Annabelle flushed and averted her eyes. "Enough of chit chat! Get to work!"

The hour passed by extremely slowly, but Annabelle managed to finish her work by the end of class. After all, her magic was bad, but that didn't mean she couldn't write or be a good worker.

Dean had to leave the class early to go to a meeting with Professor McGonogall, which left only Annabelle and Seamus alone. When the bell rang for class to end, they grabbed their books and scrambled out of the room, laughing.

Seamus held open the door for her, and she quickly stepped through it.

"So," he said, throwing his fists in his cloak pocket.

"So." Annabelle echoed.

They both laughed a little, but Annabelle was cut short when she looked up and saw Draco pass by with Crabbe and Goyle.

He looked sick.

He had these huge black bags underneath his eyes, and he looked very, very, tired.

Annabelle was going to go up to Draco, but Seamus pulled her along to a different corridor. She was going to ask Seamus what his problem was, and that she had to go talk with her sick brother. But then she forgot that Seamus didn't know she had a brother.

So she walked alongside him, plugging her ears from any of the distant words Seamus was saying. She was too concentrated on her own thoughts.

When someone poked her gently in the shoulder, Annabelle suddenly fell into fright and whipped back, hitting the person on the arm pretty hard.

Harry staggered back, shock etched on his face. He rubbed his arm, and Annabelle suddenly put her hand to her mouth.

"I'm _so_ sorry Harry!" she cried, walking up to him and forgetting about Seamus, who was standing there, with what looked like a bit of jealousy in his eyes.

Harry's eyes started dancing while Annabelle was explaining how she did_ not _mean to do that she asking for his forgiveness. He looked quite amused, for his part.

"It's all right. Sorry, though. Didn't know you had such violent reactions."

Annabelle laughed nervously. "Yeah. Sorry."

"No problem."

Annabelle thought angrily to herself, _So much for not embarrassing myself in front of him anymore, and for avoiding him._

He was still staring at her with those mesmerizing green eyes. Annabelle didn't have to feel her cheeks – she knew they were already hot.

"Anyways," he stepped closer to the wall so the people passing by could get through. "I was wondering if you could help me with my transfiguration worksheets. Hermione's busy with some class tonight, and Ron isn't much help, in all honestly."

Annabelle smiled, and tried to ignore Seamus who was now tapping his foot impatiently.

"Er, yeah okay. Do you want to work on it at the library?"

She couldn't believe she was giving up her vow on avoiding him. But then again, he acted as if nothing happened at all. Instead, he was extremely kind and didn't mention it at all.

"Okay, see you tonight then. Seamus," he nodded in Seamus' direction and then walked away.

When Annabelle turned to walk alongside Seamus again, he barely said anything. As they were climbing up the huge staircase, she nudged him in the side.

"What's wrong, lil' man?" she said jokingly.

He cracked a smile. "Nothing, just thinking."

"About?"

"Homework."

They left it at there when they walked through the portrait door. Seamus said something quickly to Annabelle – who didn't have enough time to catch it – and ran up the boys dormitory.

She shrugged. Boys could be so stupid and confusing sometimes.

"Hey, Anna!" Ron yelled from across the common room. She turned around. "Practice tomorrow, all right?"

She nodded, and he smiled. Sometimes, she felt so happy to have a friend like Ron. She can get so much in, and she could save herself from all that humiliation. Pretend like it never happened before.

They've been putting in lots at practice, and slowly Annabelle was improving. Just yesterday Annabelle managed to score six goals out of ten. Ron was extremely impressed.

She was about to turn right back around when she noticed a girl named Lavendar come up to him. She was making him laugh and blush, and she was smiling flirtatiously herself. Ron's ears were the color of tomatoes, and Lavendar kept joking.

Annabelle quickly turned around. This wasn't any of her business, she shouldn't care.

- - - -


	9. Quidditch

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter :(

You wont believe it guys... but I got a laptop for my birthday! Im so excited cause now I'll be able to write much more (If i have time, that is) and I'll be able to have the time of my life on this thing, so its pretty sweet. :)

thank you to my new readers ellhatebc, xxbabyxox, wolfrain150, and to 93 for a nice review :)

You guys are all awesome! Thanks for reading! 3

- - - -

Annabelle was at the library, waiting for Harry to come. She picked a table that was secluded in a corner, out of ear shot, and where many people wouldn't see them. She didn't want people to get the wrong expression, and truthfully, she didn't feel like seeing anyone but Harry now.

Even though she was supposed to be avoiding him. But it's really hard for her to do it, seeing as she sees him pretty much everyday.

She looked at a big clock, _7:00._

He should be here any second now. Annabelle wasted some of the time by staring at all the books on the shelves.

"Belle," a voice startled her. She jumped in her seat, but even before looking at the face, she knew it was Draco.

"Draco – " she gasped. "Don't scare me like that!"

He walked over and took a seat at the table. Annabelle was right, he did have big black bags underneath his eyes. She was going to ask him about it, but shut her mouth. If Harry comes here, this wouldn't be too great.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, staring pointedly at Annabelle's books.

"Homework." Annabelle made sure her tone was neutral. She didn't want Draco to think he was forgiven for the earlier incident with Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

After an awkward moment of silence, Draco took in a breath. "You mad at me?"

She shot him a look.

"I'm guessing, that's a yes?"

"Maybe."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You shouldn't be," he said, "I didn't say anything against you."

Annabelle looked down at her papers. "I just didn't think you could be so mean," she said quietly.

She didn't remember a time that she and Draco were in a fight before. If they were, they always made up in the next five minutes. She was amazed she ignored him for almost a week.

"Aw, come on Belle! You know perfectly well that if our parents found you hanging around _Potter_," he spat the last name. "You'd be grounded for years and they might take you away from Hogwarts!"

Annabelle heard footsteps coming closer, and fell in a panic mode. Before she could react in any way, Harry appeared around the bookshelf with a flushed face and smiled, his emerald green eyes gleaming so much they looked like diamonds. Green diamonds – how beautiful.

Annabelle couldn't help but smile as well, but when she heard Draco scowl and saw Harry's eyes narrow, the smile was wiped off her face.

Draco glanced at Annabelle, his eyes shooting daggers at her. At least that's how she felt it.

When Annabelle didn't say anything, he stood up, knocking the chair over loudly, and walked out, making sure to bump Harry hard on the shoulder when he left.

Great, now Draco was mad at her as well.

Harry stared as Draco left, before gaining a seat next to Annabelle who already had her face in her hands.

"You're friends with him?" Harry asked, trying not to sound annoyed. But of course, Annabelle recognized the tone.

She wanted to tell Harry that he was her brother, but she didn't want Harry to think of her as a cruel Pureblood.

"Sort of," she lied.

Harry didn't press further, and Annabelle was really relieved. At least he didn't care who her friends were, even though he hated them.

"Anyways, about those worksheets…" she started.

"Right." He said, taking his own out.

As Annabelle was looking through her sheets, she didn't notice Harry stealing glances her way. Every time Harry looked at her, his heart started pounding against his rib cage and a smile magically appeared on his face. Something about those icy innocent eyes pulled him to her. Her long blond curly hair. The way she laughs at others mistakes. The way she makes people feel like flying – especially when they were having a bad day. Annabelle was gorgeous, and she didn't even know it. Harry had an instinct to hold her, kiss her, but when Annabelle caught his gaze, he looked away, heat creeping up to his face. She turned pink too, but returned her attention to the sheets. Harry didn't know why he suddenly had these feelings he's never had before, but he shrugged it off and returned to his homework with a grin on his face, thinking about Annabelle the entire time.

- - - -

"YES ANNABELLE! You're doing great!" Ron yelled from his area at the goal posts. It was Friday night, and like always, Annabelle was outside at the Quidditch pitch practicing her game with Ron.

She just scored nine out of ten shots on Ron, and couldn't be happier. The past lessons really paid off and she was growing to be quite a decent Quidditch Player.

Right now she was zooming across the pitch, allowing the breeze to tussle her hair, and to feel the cold October air on her cheeks.

She couldn't believe she was at Hogwarts for about a month now. Not much has happened but she never had this much fun in a long time.

Ron was zooming to accompany Annabelle in the air. When he caught up, they regained their speed together, just flying around the pitch.

"So apparently Demelza Robins quit the team, reckons it's too dangerous," Ron snorted. "Anyways, that means there is an empty spot for you!"

Annabelle thought about this. She's been growing really attached to these meetings with Ron, and didn't want to play aggressively in the game. But wasn't this what she wanted all along?

"I'm not sure if I want to take it," she whispered.

Ron suddenly was incredulous. "WHAT!? Anna, you've only been practicing with me for a month and you're already better than Ginny. Another month and you'll be better than Katie Bell!"

Annabelle smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, but I'm not that good. Besides, I think my nerves will get the best of me."

"Mine too, I always feel green when I'm about to play. But after a few good saves, the feeling passes."

They landed on the ground and started walking towards the changeroom, still chatting. Ron was attempting to persuade her to ask Harry about joining the team, but Annabelle kept refusing.

"No, Ron! At least not yet, I don't feel ready."

Ron opened his mouth to retort but stopped when he noticed Harry himself in the change room. Harry was changing into his practice clothes and jumped when he saw Ron and Annabelle.

Annabelle managed to see a bit of Harry's toned stomach, and blushed. She quickly looked down.

Ron, being the guy he is, just stepped inside cheerfully pulling Annabelle along. Harry threw a shirt on himself, and he too, was a little red.

"Hey mate," Ron said, sitting down beside Harry. Annabelle stood awkwardly at the side. "So we have a preposition to you."

"And that is?" Harry asked.

"Well," Ron looked at Annabelle who was glaring back at him, "Anna here, has something to say."

Harry smiled when he saw Annabelle, but she didn't return it. She didn't even look at him.

"I have nothing to say, Ron. Let's go back to the common room."

She was turning on her heal, but Ron grabbed her arm and yanked her to sit beside him. She shot a mean look at Ron.

"Hey, sorry to er – yeah – why are you guys wearing practice clothes?" Harry asked, placing his firebolt against his shoulder.

Ron beamed, and Annabelle swore under her breath. This wasn't going as she ever planned it to.

"Anna was practicing, trying to see if she's better than before," Ron winked.

"Really?" Harry asked, eyeing Annabelle, who shrugged like it was nothing.

Ron, receiving satisfaction from this, kept pushing forward.

"You should see her in the air, Harry. I reckon she's better than Ginny," he confessed.

Harry raised an eyebrow, and turned his gaze at Annabelle, who felt her cheeks burning from embarrassment.

Stupid, stupid, stupid Ronald.

"It's up to you, Annabelle," Harry said gently, not wanting to push her to doing something she didn't want to – exactly what Ron was doing.

Annabelle peered at Ron, who threw her an encouraging smile.

"Fine," she exasperated. "But only for a few minutes. I need to ask Hermione something about homework." This, of course, was a lie. But she was desperate to get out of the problem as soon as possible.

Ron beamed, and clapped her back. "Yeah Anna!"

He jumped up, and led them out of the change room and back to the field, carrying the big trunk of Quidditch items. Annabelle and Harry were walking behind him quietly, and Annabelle's nerves weren't the greatest at the moment, either.

They reached the pitch in silence, and mounted their brooms. Harry opened the small lock for the snitch, and realized that he forgot it in the changing rooms.

"Damn, I knew I forgot something," he mumbled. "You guys get warmed up, I'm going to get it from the storage room."

He got up, and left.

Ron smiled at Annabelle, who stuck her tongue out at him.

"Captain told us to get warmed up. Let's go," he said, flying into the air. Annabelle sighed, and zoomed into the air right behind him.

Like always, the feeling was exhilarating. The breeze was cool, and Annabelle was warm, despite the cold wind hitting her cheeks.

Ron flew by the goal posts, waiting for Annabelle to begin shooting at him. She flew about a hundred meters away from him, and started throwing.

The first shot was pretty fast, so by the time Ron noticed it, it was already in. He cursed out loud, and dove to retrieve the ball and pass it back to Annabelle.

The second shot was pretty good, in Annabelle's opinion. She curved the ball slightly, so Ron was flying in the different direction than the ball was.

She laughed when she saw Ron's shocked face.

The third went right through to the right basket, with Ron meters away from catching it.

When the fourth went in between Ron's legs and into the middle basket, she heard clapping from below.

Suddenly nervous, she turned around to see Harry, standing at the middle of the field, his eyes filled with awe.

The butterflies were jumping violently right now, and Annabelle swiveled around to face Harry and thank him, but in the process she accidentally felt her hand slip off the wood and felt herself fall of the broom.

In full panic, she tried to reach out and grab the broom which was still hovering in the air, but it was already distancing away from her.

She was falling.

Her ears were filled with the wind's whipping sounds, and couldn't find the nerve to scream.

She knew she was going to hit the ground soon, but before she could, someone grabbed her and hoisted her behind him on the broom, and she immediately recognized Ron's blood red hair in a daze.

Annabelle was so confused.

"Smooth," Ron said, flying back up, with Annabelle behind him, holding nothing. A gust of strong wind came over her, causing her to almost fall back again, so she grabbed Ron's shoulders lightly. "If I wouldn't know better, I'd say you're starting to develop a little crush on Harry Potter," he smirked.

"Do! Not!" she yelled pounding her hands on his back with each word.

He laughed a little, and was nearing her broom now.

"Is she all right?" Annabelle heard Harry ask worriedly.

He was also in the air, right behind both of them.

"Yeah, I got her," Ron shouted. When they were close enough to her broom, she grabbed and climbed on it, with Harry's help.

He stuck out his hand, and all at once the vision appeared when they were on the train, and he grabbed her hand to pull her off of it. Why was he on the train anyway?

Harry held his hand impatiently in the air, and she quickly grabbed it, cutting herself away from her thought and jumping on her broomstick.

"You all right?" Harry asked her, his eyes concerned.

"Great," she muttered, completely and totally embarrassed.

"Maybe that's enough flying for you today, Anna," Ron suggested.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "You're flying is amazing though. If you want to take the spot on the team, we'd defiantly win the cup."

Annabelle blushed at the comment, but reminded herself of her embarrassment.

"I'll have to think about it."  
Ron grinned, and she rolled her eyes at him.

They lowered themselves down onto the ground, and for the second time today, Annabelle headed towards the changerooms.

Why did she have to always act like a complete and total fool around Harry? Why was she constantly embarrassing herself?

When they reached the doors, Harry held it open for her, and she stepped through.

"You going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, Annabelle?" Harry asked from behind her.

She suddenly remembered that there was a Hogsmeade Trip tomorrow. And that she was going with Seamus. Close call, she almost forgot.

"Yeah, I am."

They walked into the changing room, and Annabelle grabbed her clothes and locked herself in a stall so the boys could change without worrying that a girl was watching.

"You know Anna," Ron said loudly, "You should come with us. There's this one Quidditch Store there, and if you decide to change your mind about the team you can buy your equipment there. Pretty cheap too. Last year I got gloves for only ten sickles."

Annabelle threw on her sweater, and then thought about the possibility of leaving Seamus for a bit so she can prepare for Quidditch. No, that wasn't really likely. Besides, like always, she keeps her promises, because they aren't made to be broken.

"I don't know Ron. Seamus asked me to go with him, but if I'll be able to persuade him to go to that shop with you guys, then I guess I could try. Oh, and can I come out now?" she added hastily, her hand on the door.

"Yeah, you can. But don't worry about Seamus," Ron said, when she stepped out of the stall. They had their bags over their shoulders, all ready to go. "He loves Quidditch, he'll be easy to persuade," he assured her.

"Great," she smiled.

All three of them walked back towards the castle, Ron chatting animatedly about Quidditch. And as much as Annabelle tried to, the only thing she could concentrate on was not embarrassing herself anymore times in front of Harry.

- - - -


	10. Stupid Brother

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

OKAY GUYS, part 10! Dix! And from now on my chapters will consist of two digit numbers. Interesting. :)

So anyways, I had no school today so it was the most wonderful feeling waking up in the morning, and not have to worry about getting to school. Ahh :)

Thank you so much to reading/reviewing my story! It feels great, I mean I already have like 24 reviews! So thank you thank you thank you!

Thanks to the new readers, timmm, Protege16, shadowolf93, hollowbastiongrl, and to of course my old readers/reviewers... you all seriously make my day, no joke.

Okay, I think I will shut up now.

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"Anna," someone said softly in Annabelle's dreams. "Come on, we leave for Hogsmeade in five minutes."

Annabelle rolled over so her face was in her pillow and moaned. "I'm not going anywhere," she said grudgingly.

Someone touched her shoulder gently. "Yes, you are. Now you only have four minutes to get ready. Come on."

"Leave me alone Hermione," Annabelle groaned.

A few seconds later, Hermione said, "Three minutes."

"Fine!" Annabelle yelled, jumping out of her bed and grabbing random clothes from the dresser. "Gheez woman," she said, running a brush through her curly hair. "I don't care about Hogsmeade, there's going to be more trips, isn't there?"

"Yes," Hermione agreed, smiling. Annabelle was now in the washroom brushing her teeth. "But you don't get asked by a special guy, do you?"

Annabelle's head popped out from behind the door, mouth full of toothpaste. She was glaring at Hermione, who laughed.

"What?" Hermione said innocently, raising her hands in the air. "You've got to agree that's true. But honestly, think about it. Seamus _is_ pretty good-looking, I bet you'd guys have an absolutely wonderful time if you went out together."

Annabelle spat in the sink loudly.

Hermione at the clock, and panic started to flow into her body. "The carriages leave in one minute, hurry up Anna!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," yelled Annabelle, grabbing some of her money and throwing it into her sweater. She took her wand, and jumped out of the portrait hole with Hermione right behind her.

They started to run down to the Great Hall, trying to get there in less than a minute… They passed dozens of kids, some who were pushed by them, and Hermione and Annabelle were apologizing loudly while running, giggling all the way through…

"Anna!" Seamus stepped right into Annabelle's way, knocking them both down and sending them rolling down the stairs. Every time Seamus was on top of Annabelle she felt her lungs compress and couldn't breathe, but then she was on top of him, and so on it went. They couldn't stop rolling because the force was too strong, and Annabelle was scared there would be many bystanders.

Seamus tried his best to stop them, but each step started hurting more and more when they hit it.

Finally, they reached the bottom.

"Ow," Annabelle moaned, her head throbbing painfully.

"Are you two going to Hogsmeade or not?" someone growled annoying from above them.

"Yeah we are, sorry Professor Filch," Seamus apologized.

"Well then what are you two waiting for? Get up!"

Seamus jumped to his feet, then extended his hand for Annabelle and helped her up.

"You all right?" he asked under his breath as Filch waited impatiently at the last carriage, waiting for them to go inside.

"Mhm," Annabelle said, her head still throbbing a little. She closed her eyes as Seamus led her inside and sat beside her. The door slammed closed and they were finally alone.

"I'm so sorry about that Anna. Really, I wish I could make it up to you."

"Well, you did say you'd buy me butterbeer," Annabelle said cheekily.

"Right," Seamus laughed. "You're going to love Hogsmeade. It's great!"

They spent the remainder of the time in the carriage talking, and Seamus was delighted when Annabelle asked if it was okay to visit the Quidditch Shop with Ron and Harry.

"Are you going to fill in that extra spot?!" he asked excitedly.

"I don't know," Annabelle answered truthfully. "I guess we'll have to see."

"I'd definitely be at the games. I'll be the loudest one cheering!" he promised.

"You better be," Annabelle joked, jumping out of the carriage when it came to a halt. "I'll definitely need some moral support."

Seamus grinned and he her around the corner so she was face to face with the prettiest village she's ever seen.

"Wow."

Seamus glanced at her sideways, and was happy to see the look on Annabelle's face. This was exactly what he was expecting.

"Here, want me to give you a little tour?"

Annabelle nodded speechlessly.

They walked towards all these little boutiques, stores, restaurants and Annabelle knew immediately she loved it here.

Seamus kept making her laugh all the time, and before Annabelle knew it, two hours had passed.

He led her down to the Quidditch Store, explaining what each item is needed for and used for. Annabelle listened with half an ear, because she was distracted when Harry and Ron came in with Hermione. They looked like if they've been arguing, but when they saw Annabelle and Seamus across the room, they made their way towards them. Harry hung in the back, smiling when he caught Annabelle's eye.

"Hey!" Hermione said happily, closing the space between them. Ron was already immersed with some expensive keeper gloves and Harry hung back to talk with him.

Seamus grinned at her, and Annabelle let out a little wave.

"What have you guys been up to?" Hermione asked, throwing smug looks at Annabelle.

"Nothing really." Seamus answered. "Hey Hermione, remember that textbook you recommended for me in Transfiguration? I went to the store today, but it wasn't there. I was hoping you'd know where I could buy another copy."

Hermione's face brightened. Well, what do you expect? When it comes to learning new things and knowledge, she'll always be happy.

"Yes, well there are other stores that have it, probably. Would you like me to go with you and find it? Only if Anna doesn't mind, of course."

Hermione smiled sweetly at Annabelle, who started to glare. Annabelle knew that Hermione wasn't trying to tease her, or to act annoying so Annabelle ignored it. But still, Annabelle knew she was red from the comment.

"Go ahead," she said curtly, directed to Hermione.

Seamus glanced at Annabelle. "Is that okay, Anna?"

"Yeah. Make sure to come back, I still want my butterbeer," she said, trying to make light of the conversation.

"Okay, be right back," they said, and then left the store, laughing.

Annabelle looked over to where Ron and Harry were standing and noticed Ron was with Lavendar but Harry was no where to be seen. She was going to walk over to them, introduce herself to Lavendar, when some object caught her eye. It was some sort of body guard thing, well it looked like one. It was brown with an oddly shaped exterior but it looked really comfortable. Annabelle stepped closer and slowly figured out on her own that it was a seat! Of course! A seat for the broomstick, so your bum won't get sore. Now there was an invention.

Gleefully, she pulled it down from the shelf and placed it on the ground. She was thinking of testing it, then buying it for her own self. Quidditch players needed this kind of thing.

She peered around, making sure no one was watching, before sitting herself down on it. And how comfortable it was! She re-adjusted herself and already knew what she was going to have it when she left the store, when a laugh startled her.

Oh no, she probably looked like an idiot sitting on the store floor with a broomstick pillow underneath her bum.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Harry, still laughing, his green eyes gleaming.

Annabelle scrambled up to her feet, pulling the pillow up with her.

"What?" she said, embarrassed but still curious. She was merely trying out the pillow, seeing for herself if it actually worked.

He cut his laugh short, and looked at her seriously. "What did you think that was?"

"A pillow," she answered immediately.

He grinned wider than his face managed to.

"It's not."

"It's not?"

"It's a body thing for males," he grabbed it from her hands and put it on his front. There were straps in the back, which he tied up. In the end, it did look a hell of a lot like a body guard for the front.

When Harry saw Annabelle's expression, he laughed again, and Annabelle stared uneasily at the guard. Wow, way to embarrass yourself in front of Harry. Was this the eight or ninth time?

"It really looked like a pillow," she muttered, her tone sounding a little defensive.

Harry smiled at her warmly. "Want to go grab a coffee or something?"

Annabelle's heart started to thump loudly, and she prayed he wouldn't hear it. She was going to answer yes, but then Seamus stepped into the store with Hermione, and only a second later he was behind Annabelle, some textbook in hand.

Chance, _missed._

"Right. Got the textbook. Ready for some butterbeer, Anna?" Seamus said happily, lifting the textbook so she could see.

Harry looked a little annoyed, but it looked like he was trying hard to not be. What does Annabelle do in a situation like this? Go with Harry? Or Seamus?

Technically Seamus asked her first… but he did go running off with Hermione as well.

Annabelle opened her mouth, then closed it. Opened, and closed.

"What if we all go together, for butterbeer?" she glanced hopefully at Harry, and smiled at Seamus.

Thankfully, they both agreed and so did Hermione, Ron, and Lavendar. All of them would probably need a big table. As they headed towards the direction of the store, Annabelle couldn't help but notice the jealous look on Hermione's face. She wondered if this could have anything to do with Lavendar.

When they all entered the Three Broomsticks, a waiter immediately took them to a big table seated for eight people. Annabelle slid in with Seamus sliding beside her, and Hermione on the other side. Annabelle glanced at her menu while Lavendar was cracking up a joke, leaving silence and stares, and a forced laugh by Ron. Hermione looked sick.

Before Annabelle could ask Hermione if she was okay, a waiter came and asked for their orders. Seamus counted the heads, and suddenly stopped short. He went red a little as he checked his pockets for money, making sure his hand was under the table and out of sight to save him embarrassment. Annabelle felt sorry, and before Seamus could be humiliated for not having enough money, she stepped in.

"Six butterbeers, please," she asked sweetly, making sure she wasn't eyeing Seamus. She had three galleons ready in her hand.

"Is that all?" the waitress asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll be right back," and the waitress was gone.

There was a second of silence, before Lavendar started to crack some more jokes. Ron forced himself to look interested, and Harry averted his gaze, mouthing something to Hermione. Seamus looked like his soul was drained, with his head down, looking at his hands.

"Hey," Annabelle said softly. "Don't worry about it."

He didn't even look up. "I'm not poor, you know. I thought I had enough but the textbook must have taken it all," he said quietly.

"Which is understandable. It happens to everyone, so it's okay. Not everyone has enough money in their pockets at appropriate times."

Seamus laughed.

"What?"

"The way you said that. Made it sound like you were some therapist or something."

Annabelle tried to remember how she said it, but couldn't remember. She broke into a smile anyway, because she was glad she cheered Seamus up. When she looked up from his hands, she was caught off guard by Harry's stare, which he averted when she caught his eye. At that moment the waitress came by with six butterbeers. She gave one to everyone, then stuck out her hand for money, which Annabelle thought was really rude. Either way, she pulled out the three galleons, but a different hand reached the waitress' hand first.

"Harry – "

"Don't worry about it," Harry grinned, nodding at the waitress, who then left, "Treats on me. Next time, if you want, it could be on you."

"Yeah, but I suggested this in the first place. Here, take this," she threw the galleons at him.

"But I don't want it!" he argued, pushing them back to her side of the table.

"Well, neither do I!" Annabelle said, her voice determined.

"Annabelle – "

"Will you take it?" she said annoyingly. "Look, everyone at this table thinks we're idiots now. So take the money!"

Then the entire table burst out laughing, and in the end, Harry did pocket the money. Annabelle was laughing with them, when something caught her eye out of the far window. A figure along with two taunting fat ones.

After straining her neck for a minute, Annabelle realized it was Neville. And Neville had an awfully bloodstained nose. She scrambled to her feet and pushed past Seamus and Harry. Seamus stopped conversation short, and the table looked at her.

"Where are you going, Annabelle?"

"Washroom," she lied, trying to get out of the booth as hurriedly as she could.

Then they turned back into the animated conversation they were having.

When Annabelle opened the outside door, she walked as quickly as she could to the area where she saw Neville.

When she reached them, she felt sick to her stomach.

"Crabbe! Goyle!" she yelled. They immediately stopped doing whatever they were doing with their wands to make Neville look pale as a ghost, and looked up in alarm. Annabelle felt her temper rising, and a small pain in the back of her forehead, but she ignored it.

"What the hell are you morons doing?!"

They grinned, and Neville pushed himself away from them.  
"I - I tripped and I started bleeding- " he was whispering frantically; but Annabelle wasn't took a few more steps to cover Neville, when a platinum blond head caught her eye. And he was right behind the goons, too.

"Draco?" she whispered, growing numb.

Draco walked from behind Crabbe and Goyle, hand in hand with Pansy. She looked like she just won a jackpot. Annabelle was starting to shake.

"It's me, Belle. Surprised?"

She glared at Pansy, who was smiling her butt off.

"Why the hell were your friends tormenting Neville?" she demanded. Neville was already on his feet behind her, grabbing her arm.

"Come on, Anna. Leave them alone," he whimpered silently.

Annabelle shrugged him off. "You go," she said angrily, still staring directly at Draco. "Hermione, Seamus, Lavendar, Ron and Harry are inside. I'll be there in a second."

Annabelle felt herself trembling more and more. If she kept this up, then in a minute she'd probably fall down and pass out or something.

"Anna – "

"Please, Neville. Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen, I promise I'll be there in two minutes."

Neville hesitated for a minute longer, before leaving them, and heading into the store. Annabelle immediately rounded up on Draco.

"Do you _mind_? Neville did nothing wrong, and yet you're making his life miserable!"

"Actually, Crabbe and Goyle were," he corrected.

"I don't give a damn who was doing the work!" she yelled, the headache clouding up her vision. "It was you behind it!"

"So what?"

"Mom and Dad will find out about this, Draco. I'm in _Gryffindor_, believe it or not, and Neville's my friend. I can't hang around Slytherins all the time. And yet, you do this to him! The parents won't be happy about this."

Draco let go of Pansy's hand, and stared evenly into Annabelle.

"They won't be happy when they find out you've been hanging around Scarhead either, won't they Belle?" he said in a low voice.

Annabelle swore out loud.

For the next two minutes, she and Draco had a glaring battle. Finally, Annabelle crossed her arms. Her trembling was growing at ease.

"You stay away from my friends, Draco. I mean it."

"Stay away from Pothead."

She shook her head, then turned around, about to walk off.

"It'd also be nice if you'd stay away from Weasel and Mudblood too. Don't want mom and dad to smell the disgusting essence of muddy blood when we get home," he called out.

That did it.

All Annabelle remembered after that was forcing her fist at Draco's nose, hearing a satisfying _crack_, before disappearing into darkness.

- - - -


	11. Forgiveness

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Well guys, here's part 11! I really hope you like it! :) Trust me, Draco isn't going to be a jerk for the ENTIRE story ;)

Anyways, so thank you to my new readers... Dark Blue Pen, L-lover, and siriusloverlollipops! And of course to the others who are reading this story. Thank you!

Oh, and there's one more thing. Sometimes I get down when I don't see people reviewing, because I dont get to know my mistakes/ or get that awesome feeling... but I learned that I could count on my three fellow readers BellaCullen2312, Spelllesswonder29 and kt . potter93! You guys are amazing, thanks for the heartwarming reviews!

My goal for this story is 100 reviews. I'm still going to have like forty more chapters or whatever, so I REALLY hope I can make it. Saying that, review please? :)

Thanks my awesome amigos! 3

- - - -

Annabelle thought about forcing herself to open her eyes – even though every single muscle in her body was telling her not to. Everything hurt, but the pain was worse in her head. It felt like every second someone was hitting her with a hammer.

In the end, she decided to fake sleep, let the hurt die away a little. What the heck happened? She did not even remember her own name. Oh wait, no. Annabelle, right. And then she thought about Harry, then Hogsmeade, Neville, and then Draco.

_Draco,_ she thought angrily. Her brain responded by hitting the hammer harder against her head, so she tried to ease up a little.

There were voices in the background.

"Yeah, did you see his face back in third year? The way he was frightened of dementors?" a gruff voice said.

Another one laughed. "You'd think he saw his dead mother and father or something."

More laughing.

"Best was last year though. "I'm Potter, and Voldemort is reeeeaalllly back," someone said, mocking Harry in a way too girlish voice.

And more laughing.

"Stop," Annabelle croaked. Wow, was her voice really out of it, too?

Someone was immediately at her side.

"Belle? Belle, are you all right? Can you open your eyes? What's wrong?"

Draco. And his voice sounded really worried, too.

"I'm okay," she whispered, willing herself to open her eyes. She was shocked when she saw Draco's pale face, and a stone cold common room. No fire, a few sofas, and lots of serpents. Was she in the Slytherin common room?

He sighed in relief. He turned around to Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, and Pansy. "Can you guys go, for now? I need to talk to her."

Pansy immediately jumped to her feet, with fake concern, and left. It took a little more persuading for Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise.

"Please," Draco said quietly.

After a few seconds, all three of them finally got up and left. Annabelle realized that it was only her and Draco in the common room now. Also that for the first time in their lives, there was an awkward silence.

Draco spoke first.

"Listen, Belle. I'm sorry I gave you this head ache. I – I should've known, not to, you know…"

Annabelle forced her lips in a thin line. She wasn't going to make apologizing any easier for Draco.

He cleared his throat, "To make you angry," he said in a low voice.

Annabelle waited for more, but by the expression of Draco's face, she doubted there would be any.

After a few painful minutes, Draco finally exasperated. For the first time ever, Annabelle noticed tears in his eyes.

"I was so scared Belle," he cried, silently so she wouldn't know. "I was scared you wouldn't wake up. Last time this happened mom and dad knew what to do, but I had no idea. If you died, everything would have been gone, it wouldn't be the same…"

Draco never was really her brother. At least, Annabelle didn't think so. He spent most of the year away, except for those two months, and even then, that was little.

Her mind took her to that one vivid memory, on a summer's day. Her dad was yelling at her for doing nothing around the house, and one of Annabelle's infamous headaches was approaching. He kept yelling, and finally she collapsed, only to be woken up to Draco's hug and her mom's soothing words. She realized she was in a hospital.

When she opened her eyes, Draco jumped up, hugging her tightly.

"I love you so much Belle," he said softly, so only Annabelle could hear.

That was the first time Annabelle ever heard her brother tell her he loved her. He was obviously thinking about the same memory right now.

But she never knew that Draco cared about her. And even though he can be the meanest guy in the world sometimes, Annabelle knew he had some good in his heart. Like, right now. So she decided to make it a little easier on him.

"Draco…" she began, but couldn't find the words to keep going.

And then it happened so fast, she wasn't sure it happened. They were seven again, in the hospital, and he was hugging her.

This time it felt more protected, warmer. And despite the fact that Annabelle was angry with him right now, she hugged him back.

They spent what felt like days in that one fleeting moment, just holding each other in the middle of the Slytherin common room. Annabelle's face was buried in Draco's shoulder, and his chin rested on the top of her head. Just like brothers sisters should be.

When Annabelle pulled away from him, they sort of smiled, and Draco knew Annabelle had forgiven him.

"Just try not to do it anymore, okay?" she joked.

"Right," Draco got up from the couch, and helped Annabelle up, whose head was still throbbing a little.

Annabelle knew that this incident was just a little obstacle. She doubted that after years of hating Harry and his friends, he won't suddenly like them. And he will continue to bug Annabelle. But for now, Annabelle reminded herself of this single memory, and held on to it. Because she knew, that no matter what, he'll always be there.

- - - -

"Damnit Anna! Where the hell were you?" Neville demanded, the minute he saw Annabelle in the Great Hall. She only just left the Slytherin common room, and it was well past midnight.

"Neville?" she asked, incredulous that he was up at this hour and not afraid of getting caught. She was starving and was hoping that there was some sort of food in the Great Hall. But like she expected, there was nothing.

"Yeah Neville," he said angrily, stomping after her as she searched for some evidence of food in the hall. "I was dead worried that something happened to you. I was mad at myself for leaving you with Malfoy."

Annabelle winced. She hated it when he used last names, especially the mean way he says it against her brother.

"I searched the entire Hogsmeade for you, entire castle, but no sign – anywhere! I was so _damn_ worried!" He paused, before swearing some more.

Annabelle was speechless. She was touched – a friend spent his entire Saturday worrying about her and searching for her. Who wouldn't want a friend like that? But she couldn't say anything like that to Neville because it would make things awkward between them.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. No need to get emotional here.

"Thanks Neville," she whispered. "For everything," she added, a bit more seriously.

Neville stared hard at her, before his eyes cleared up a little. He seemed to understand and he smiled, though it was very unconvincing.

"What did you – uh – tell the others?" Annabelle asked, nervously. She didn't want them wasting their Saturdays too.

"You had a massive headache and you had to leave early. For some reason, Seamus was forcing me to tell him where you went. Too much concern, I say," he laughed.

Annabelle narrowed her eyes but smiled.

"Do you want to go back up to the common room? I have some treats from Honeydukes, if you're hungry," he said.

For about the twentieth time this year, Annabelle debated whether or not to tell Neville that Draco is her brother, and that her family is a follower of Voldemort's. She chose not to, who knew what Neville would think of her afterwards.

As Neville waited for an answer, Annabelle realized she has not given one to him yet.

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds, um, great."

She followed Neville out of the Great Hall, both cautious and quiet, so as not to get caught by Filch. It was really dark at this hour, and Annabelle had no idea where she was going.

After crashing into two different statues, nearly breaking one of them and making loud chaos, Neville just grabbed her arm and led her to the common room.

"Sorry," she whispered, still recovering from the latest hit.

Neville nodded, and finally, they reached the portrait hole. The Big Fat Lady was staring at them furiously.

"Were you two the midgets making that racket down there?" she said, loud enough for the entire school to hear.

Annabelle glanced at Neville, and by the look of his face, she knew that he had forgotten the password.

"Fizzwibbies," she said.

"I'm telling you, it's midnight and you're waking me up to get inside?! Oh that's definitely not going to happen, is it?"

"Fizzwibbies!" Annabelle said again, this time more desperate. If Filch caught them… Oh, that wouldn't be too lovely.

After a cruel and half a minute battle, the portrait door finally swung open, and Neville and Annabelle jumped inside, finally safe.

They both sighed in relief. "That was close," he smiled nervously.

"Yeah," Annabelle breathed.

"Well, I'm going to go get the candy and stuff, we'll eat down here," he checked if there was anyone downstairs, but in the shadows, it was difficult to see.

"I could start the fire," Annabelle offered.

They agreed on the minor plan, and set out to work. Annabelle moved forward to the fireplace, waving her wand and making flames appear on the wood.

After a small but satisfying fire was made, she backed up to the sofa, waiting for Neville. When she felt the familiar fabric, she sat down, but found herself on top of an oddly shaped object.

Annabelle jumped, and the object groaned. Must be a person.

She turned surprisingly to see Harry, his hair messier than ever, sleeping on the couch peacefully.

"Harry?" she whispered, feeling her heart come to an abrupt stop.

This must be why about a thousand wizarding girls are crazy about him. As Annabelle stares at him shyly, she can't believe her eyes. When Harry is asleep, he looks like an angel. Sure, she can't see any of his emerald green eyes, but the way his face shows no emotion, the way he looks as if he's having the best dream in the world… wow.

"Anna?"

Annabelle's head jerked up; Neville was watching her stare at Harry with an armful of packed food. Oh no, he already thought she had developed a little liking for Harry. She tried to quickly regain herself.

"Yeah, sorry! Oh those look absolutely delicious, what are they? Look at that packaging, man I'm getting hungrier by the second. Neville you – "

Neville laughed.

"Sorry," Annabelle sighed tiredly. Her cover up wasn't good at all – in fact, it might have even deepened Neville's thoughts about her having a crush on Harry. Way to talk, big mouth. "The food looks good though, I'm so hungry."

"Great," he placed the entire load of it on the table, and put his hands on his hips, looking over at Harry's form on the couch.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to move him, don't you?" he said.

"He looks like he's having a wonderful dream," Annabelle said quietly, "Let's just leave him."

Neville eyed her suspiciously, and finally yawned.

"I'm tired Anna, is it okay if I leave the food with you?"

"Yeah, I'll bring it up with me when I finish, so no one else eats any," she grinned.

"All right," Neville stifled a yawn, and raised his arms above his head to stretch. "Goodnight, then."

"G'night, and thanks, Neville. Really."

He smiled at Annabelle, who returned it, and headed up the stairs, leaving Annabelle alone in the common room with a sleepless Harry on the couch.

She sat down on the floor beside him and looked at all the various sorts of candy and food Neville had left for her. There were all sorts of different colors, different tastes, so much of it! She felt like she could eat a horse right about now, so she grabbed the nearest box and looked at the label.

Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Sounds reasonable enough.

She opened the box and plucked a few in her mouth, then quickly glanced at Harry. He had a soft smile on his lips, and his hair messier than ever.

She caught herself staring, so she turned her head and instead focused on the beans. She just finished swallowing a rather sour one, which made her eyes squint hard.

Then Annabelle heard Harry groan. She turned around with wide eyes, but he was still asleep. Except this time, he didn't look peaceful at all. In fact, he was sweating.

"Harry?" she whispered, still in the same spot she was before.

Now Harry began to twist and turn, throwing off the couch's pillow, sweating harder, and moaning the whole time.

"Harry?" she said more frantically, already on her feet. She tried nudging him awake, but he kept on moving.

"Harry!"

Silence.

Then slowly and carefully, Annabelle saw his eyelids open. He looked shocked, and he had tears in his eyes.

Annabelle stepped back, embarrassed, and Harry sat up still in confusion. He rubbed his eyes, and scratched his head.

Annabelle bit her lip, and then, desperately trying to break the silence, offered, "Bad Dream?"

Harry nodded numbly and sighed. "Sorry, I think I'm going to go up to the dormitory. Night Annabelle."

And without any time to hesitate, he got up and moved himself slowly upstairs leaving Annabelle alone and wondering why Harry's dream went bad and what is was about.

- - - -


	12. Halloween

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. :(

Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for the reviews for the previous chapter. I got eight in total, and thats a BIG accomplishment for me, so thank you!

I'd also like to thank my new readers, hotpocketbandit, Reyrayankar, jigokunooujo, and to all my consistent ones! You are simply amazing! :)

I don't have much to say except for the fact that I HATE SCHOOL so yeah, enjoy the story!

- - - -

"Can you believe it?" Blaise said in disbelief, playing with a patch of grass beside Annabelle, who was reading her book. The fall weather was starting to grow colder and Annabelle was wearing her warmest sweater. Halloween was approaching and Annabelle couldn't believe it was the 29th of October already. Time went by so fast.

"Can I believe what?" Draco asked tiredly. He was leaning against a tree with Pansy beside him, stroking his hand lovingly. He looked extremely, extremely, tired.

"Slughorn is having a Halloween party. Of course since Draco and I are in the club he invited us, but we are to bring one person as a date."

Pansy's eyes suddenly shot up and she was smiling her most flirtatious smile at Draco.

"Of course I'm going to ask you," he told her, although he wasn't exactly meeting her eyes.

Blaise ignored them, and Annabelle just turned her face away in disgust and continued to read.

"Anyways, the guy is crazy. I don't know why he started that Slug Club thing in the first place."

Annabelle just kept on reading her book, ignoring the fact that Crabbe and Goyle were approaching. She hated them, as much as she hated all of Draco's other friends.

"Who are you going to bring?" Pansy asked, rather nosily.

Blaise shrugged and started avoiding his friend's eyes. "I'm not to sure."

"Well why don't you just go with Annabelle?" Draco suggested. Annabelle's eyes shot up from her book, and she was already shaking her head.

But like always, they ignored her.

"Yeah!" Pansy agreed. "It would be so much fun! Draco and I, and Blaise and Annabelle. A night to remember…" She seemed to lose herself in her thoughts and was staring dreamily at the sky.

Blaise coughed. "I don't know. It sounds great. Do you want to go, Anna?"

His eyes met Annabelle's icy ones and all at once a million excuses started to run through Annabelle's head. There was an awkward silence and Annabelle realized that they were waiting for an answer from her.

"Oh, uhm. That sounds – yeah – fun." She choked on the last word, but recovered quickly without anyone noticing. "It's too bad though… that I've got homework!"

They looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah. Homework. Lots of homework," she grinned widely, making her look stupider than she felt.

She picked up her book and slowly raised herself, turning into the direction of the castle.

"Wish I could, except I just can't because yeah, my homework. Bye guys!"

She was gone from the group in a matter of seconds, thinking about her humiliation, once again.

Annabelle's mind was racing by the time she reached the Great Hall, which was packed with people who were eating dinner. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Neville, and by the looks of it, he spotted her too and waved her over.

"Hey," she said breathlessly, and plumped herself in the seat next to him. Dinner looked especially good today with the roast beef and whatnot.

"Hi Anna," he said glumly. She threw him a questioning glance.

"Something wrong?" she asked, as she piled her plate with salad. She absolutely loved the stuff. When she was small, she begged her mom to grow a garden of salad, but of course, Narcissa was against it.

He didn't reply, and Annabelle took the answer to be a yes.

Instead of pushing him about what was bothering him though, she tried to think of something to make him laugh.

"Okay, I have something to cheer you up," she declared, hammering her brain for a joke. She chose the first one that popped into her head.

"Why was a blond putting lip stick on her forehead?"

He raised his head to look at her in confusion.

"Because she was trying to make up her mind!" Annabelle burst with laughter, and Neville chuckled a bit too, but Annabelle wasn't sure if it was for real.

"You realized you just offended yourself?" he said.

"I did?" Annabelle said stupidly. "Oh, you're right. I did." The dawning sensation that she was a blond startled her a bit. Was she actually a dumb blond?

At that, Neville did actually laugh out loud and Annabelle smiled in achievement.

"How do you do it?" he asked, suddenly.

Annabelle looked at him. "Do what?"

"You're always so happy all the time. As if the world can't touch you. There must be something going on in your head. No person could be so cheerful like that."

"Sure they can," Annabelle said, pondering about Neville's description of her. She didn't quite believe it. "And of course I have things in my head, I'd rather not show the world though."

At that Neville sighed, and bowed his head, bitter once again.

Annabelle nudged him in the shoulder playfully. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or what?"

"Well, Slughorn is having a party – "

"Oh not that again," Annabelle moaned, suddenly losing her appetite. She ignored Neville's look at her. "Yeah, but anyways. Go on."

"The problem is, I can't find anyone to go with. Also, I'm too nervous to ask. No one wants to go with me, I'm a loser," he said desperately.

Neville jabbed his fork in his meat sorrowfully and started to play around with his food. Looking at him like this, and hearing what he has to say about himself made Annabelle feel ten times worse than she had when she was with Blaise and his crew.

"Neville…" she began, thinking of comforting words.

"Everyone there is going to have a date, and everyone is going to be having the time of their lives. Then there's me, a loner, and just moping around the place," he said depressingly.

"No, you won't be. Cause I'm going to go with you." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she immediately regretted saying so. Not because she didn't want to go with Neville, just that she turned down Blaise and she didn't know what he will do to her when he sees her at the party. But when she saw the corners of Neville's mouth twitch up, in a way, she thought she made a rightful decision.

"Really? You'd really want to go with me?" he asked hopefully, his eyes wide.

For a second, Annabelle panicked. "As friends," she cleared up quickly, and as kindly as she could.

"Yes of course!" he said happily, dropping his fork and knife, and grinning at her broadly. "Thanks so much Anna! This actually means so much to me!"

Annabelle smiled meekly at him. "It's really no problem Neville."

She threw in some salad into her mouth to keep her busy, because at the moment she didn't know what to say or what to do in honest truth. Also, she had no clue what she was going to wear. Maybe some mask, to cover her face? Oh she had no idea. Neville was chatting about what he's going to bring and what time they should meet and how excited he was, but Annabelle really couldn't feel the energy to keep up with him. So much for the homework she had to do.

Neville was wondering out loud about what shoes he was going to wear when Harry came up from behind him. He was with Hermione, but Ron was no where to be seen.

"Hey guys," he said taking the seat beside Annabelle. Hermione sat across from them and was already pouring herself some juice.

"Hey Harry!" Neville said cheerfully. Annabelle kept piling food in her mouth. She wasn't in the mood to have a decent conversation at the moment. "Heard about Quidditch. First game in November, eh?"

"Yeah," said Harry, smiling and trying to catch Annabelle's eye. She ignored the urge to look up and smile at him as well.

"Hope you guys win. Heard that the Hufflepuff team stinks this year."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, they've got a pretty lame seeker, seeing as their old one left Hogwarts last year."

"Speaking of Quidditch," Neville said, now turning his body so it would face Annabelle. "Did you finally decide to join the team, yet?" he asked.

"Yeah, did you?" Harry asked, honestly curious.

Annabelle shrugged, and looked at her now empty plate. "I'm not so sure."

"Oh Anna," Hermione said, speaking for the first time since they've got here. "You know you've improved a heck of a lot. Why don't you just join?"

Hermione was watching Annabelle expectantly, and Annabelle was slowly turning pink. "Nerves, I guess. If I mess up again like I did in try outs… well, the whole school will hate me," she said quietly.

"I'll never hate you," Neville said proudly. "Actually, unless you like make us lose by five hundred or whatever – "

"Neville!"

"I'm only joking," he grinned, and Harry was smiling too.

"If you don't join, then we'll hate you," said Harry. "For not having a great player like you on the team."

Annabelle could not help it. She blushed the deepest scarlet she possibly could, so she quickly looked down and let her hair cover her face. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her so far, and she could not believe it was from Harry.

"So what do you say?" Neville asked lightly, after a minute of silence.

After a bit of the scarlet faded, Annabelle glanced at Harry's grinning face, Hermione's kind one, and Neville's hopeful gaze.

"Oh, okay. Sure, I guess. It might be fun," she said weakly.

All three of them broke into the widest smiles.

"You won't regret it Anna," Neville told her, patting her back. "You'll see. You'll be having the time of your life by the time we finish the school year."

- - - -

It was Halloween night, and Annabelle stood in front of the mirror in her dormitory, a frustrated look plastered on her face. She had on some jeans and the best t-shirt she owned but still looked like she was going to go sit around and do nothing.

The door to the dormitory swung open, startling Annabelle. "Hey," Hermione said, throwing her bag on her bed and opening her trunk. She rummaged through all of her clothes until she found a nice spring dress that wasn't too formal at all and put it on the floor beside her.

"Hermione?" Annabelle asked hesitantly, staring at all the skirts she had in her trunk. "Would it be okay if I, you know, borrowed a skirt? Just for tonight, of course."

Hermione nodded but threw her a questioning glance. "Why? You're not going anywhere, are you?"

"Uhm, Slughorn's party," Annabelle admitted.

"Really?" Hermione's eyes brightened up immediately. "That's great! Who are you planning to go with?"

"Neville."

Hermione smiled kindly at her. "Of course," she said quietly. "I'm glad you're taking him Anna. He's usually alone on these types of events."

Annabelle managed a sad smile, before Hermione started digging through her trunk again.

"All right!" she said finally, emerging from the pile of clothes with the biggest smile on her face. She held the skirt nice and high, for Annabelle to see.

It was a normal spring skirt with designs of flowers and splattered paint, and it did look very pretty.

"Like it?" Hermione asked, heaving it down and throwing it on Annabelle's bed.

"I love it! Except, aren't we supposed to dress up as _someone?_" she asked, realizing that people tend to wear some costume on the thirty first of October.

Hermione's smile twitched into a frown and she looked down at the spring dress in frustration.

"You're right! It's Halloween! Oh dangit, and I have no costume…" muttered Hermione angrily.

"You could be a princess?" Annabelle suggested. "You have the dress and everything, just need a crown and to make your hair look special, that's all."

"Yeah but don't princesses have huge enormous ball gowns and everything?"

"You could be a cool princess," Annabelle grinned.

Hermione agreed, but looked at Annabelle funny.

"You could be mother nature!" she exclaimed. "We'll find you a bunch of flowers and put them into your hair, and maybe make like a necklace out of flowers! My mom taught me how to do it when I was little, so it will look really nice."

Annabelle took only a second to consider the thought, before smiling wide at Hermione. "Okay, great. Now we just need to find a tiara and flowers."

Hermione looked appalled. "Flowers are so easy to find though. They're just in the greenhouses. Question is, where are we going to get the tiara."

Annabelle stood up and ran to her trunk in hurry. She suddenly remembered a present that Draco had gotten her for her eleventh birthday…

"Aha!" she yelled, taking out the princess like tiara. When she was about eleven, she was convinced she belonged to the royal family, therefore she demanded a tiara. Draco was in Hogwarts at the time, but he sent a package to her with it, and she kept both the letter and tiara.

"Here," she put the tiara in Hermione's hands. "You can use it for tonight; I bet you'll look stunning with it on."

Hermione admired the tiara in her hands. "Thanks Anna, it's gorgeous."

In the next hour Annabelle and Hermione managed to get changed, transform Hermione's bushy hair into soft ringlets falling down her face, and gather enough flowers to make into a necklace. On the last few minutes, Hermione was putting in soft white and green flowers into Annabelle's messy bun.

"There we go," Hermione said finally, beaming at her work. Annabelle didn't look like herself because Hermione put on more make up than she's worn in her lifetime, but she didn't look ugly either. She still stared at her reflection open-mouthed, not sure if she wanted to say if she hated it or liked it. Hermione herself was just the spitting image of beautiful.

"Okay, let's go. Time for a spooktacular night," Hermione winked.

Hermione was supposed to meet Ron and Harry in the common room, but Neville was waiting for Annabelle in front of the Great Hall. So on the way down the stairs to the common room, Hermione was telling Annabelle to meet them inside the party by the doors. They were about to turn the corner and appear for the entire common room to see them, when Annabelle forgot something.

"Shoot," she muttered, slapping her hand to her forehead. "I forgot my wand. You go on ahead, I'll see you at the party." She turned on her heel and ran back upstairs with Hermione hissing, "Why on earth would you need a wand at a party?!"

Annabelle didn't know why she wanted it tonight. She can't use it properly anyways, but knowing she had it with her already gave her a boost of confidence.

She didn't recognize Neville when she reached him. Maybe it was because of the long silver beard he was wearing. Or maybe because he had half moon spectacles on. Either way, he looked exactly like Dumbledore and Annabelle laughed out loud.

"Neville?" she asked incredulously, gripping her side from laughter.

He looked at her as if he didn't recognize Annabelle at all, but then recognition dawned in his eyes. "Oh Annabelle. Wow you look different," he said staring especially at all the make up on her face.

"Yeah. That was all Hermione," she smiled.

They started to walk down into the dungeons for the party.

"I love your costume," Annabelle said happily. "You look so much like the real Dumbledore."

He chuckled. "Thanks, love the flowers."

When the reached the classroom, Neville opened the door for her and she stared at the room in shock. It was probably three times its normal size and everyone was dressed up as something. There was loud music and everyone was enjoying themselves and laughing.

"Wow," Neville came from behind her, impressed. "Loads of people."

_Great to make an escape if Blaise comes around,_ Annabelle thought gratefully.

"Want to get something to drink?" he asked her. She nodded and followed him to the refreshment table as he poured them punch. She couldn't see anyone she recognized.

"Here." Neville handed her the drink and she put the reddish liquid to her lips. "Oh look!" he said loudly pointing in a direction Annabelle couldn't quite see. "Come on Anna, let's go tell Slughorn we're here."

He grabbed her wrist and started pulling through the crowd but when they reached a group of people someone was tried to get through in between them rudely.

Neville let go accidentally, and in the next second, Annabelle lost him.

"Damnit," she said to herself, and glaring at the "vampire" who caused her to lose Neville. She couldn't see anyone at all.

"Finished your homework?" a cold voice hissed into her ear. Annabelle jumped and felt her heart stop for a second. She whipped around and came face to face with a Prince Charming. Of course, Blaise.

"Prince Charming? Honestly Blaise," she said, trying to hold back her fit of laughter.

"And what are you?" he asked, his eyes blazing anger. His expression went smooth. "My princess?"

"You're disgusting," Annabelle told him annoyingly and pushing her way through the crowd to find Neville. How hard is it to find a Dumbledore around in a room like this?

She felt like she was going to suffocate and she's only been in here for about five minutes.

Either way she headed towards the door to get a breather, forgetting about Neville right now. She pushed and pulled herself through what felt like thousand of people when she finally reached the door.

She swung it open and to her relief, saw Hermione on the other side. Hermione brightened and waved.

Suddenly a black figure jumped right in front of her and grabbed her. Annabelle screamed and tried to jerk away but the arms holding her were to strong, but then as if in a distance, she heard laughter.

The cloaked figure's cape fell off, and it turned out to be Harry, laughing so hard it looked like he was going to pee his pants or something.

"Harry!" Annabelle said angrily, but felt a wave of relief inside. Hermione was laughing too, with Ron beside her as Zoro. The minute Annabelle's eyes reached Ron, they stared at him in question.

"Zoro?" she asked in disbelief.

"Why not?" Ron grinned. "I think this particular costume suits me quite well."

Annabelle turned to Harry who was dressed in all black, and beaming.

"Why'd you scare me like that?!" she demanded, trying to come off as angry but to her irritation she was failing. She knew she was going to burst in fits of laughter soon.

"It's Halloween," he said simply, but charmingly.

"Well lets get this party started!" Ron said, entering the classroom and staring around it wildly. Hermione was right behind him, laughing at some of the hilarious costumes.

- - - -

I know the ending is really ... weird, but it's only because if I had a WAAY to long chapter and if I didn't stop it here, this chapter would be half the size. So sorry about this break! Thanks for reading :)


	13. Godric's Hollow

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I'm having really tough days lately, and it really sucks. But anyways, this chapter might go a little "out of proportion." I might get a few bad reviews for it, and I'd like to point out now two things. I know that Harry doesn't know how to apparate yet, but in this story lets say he just learned early. Also, I know students usually would get caught for going off guards, but harry and annabelle didn't.

now I know I just ruined this chapter a little for you guys, and I'm sorry. It's just I'm really tired and I want to let you guys know.

This is really long, so I'll stop right after I thank the readers/reviewers. Devil2Kyuubi, Magix Club, zoey zink, kt . potter93, BellaCullen2312, hotpocketbandit, hollowbastiongrl, and Spelllesswonder29.

Thank you guys!

- - - -

"Anna, there you are," Neville suddenly came over as if he just appeared in thin air. Annabelle gave a little wave, and the trio greeted him happily.

"I thought I lost you, there's so many people here."

"I know," Annabelle agreed, allowing herself to be pulled by him to the dance floor. "Quite a party, eh?"

Neville and her began to dance like fools in front of everyone, but no one really could see because of all the other bodies dancing around them.

Annabelle was laughing while Neville showed her his "professional" moves. It was quite a sight, seeing Dumbledore dance like some mad man.

"This is so fun," Neville exclaimed, now moving around like a caterpillar. Annabelle was already laughing so hard tears were threatening to leak out of her eyes.

She tried to move somehow but knew she was a fail; either way she was having the time of her life at the moment. Putting her hands in the air, and waving them like crazy, she and Neville were probably the stupidest pair on the dance floor.

Then someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with Blaise.

"Hello," he said voicelessly. His face showed no emotion, and the earlier sneering was gone.

"What do you want, Blaise?" she said tiredly, all of her energy draining suddenly.

The crazy tempo music was turned off, and instead, a slow song was put on, much to others dismay. There was a loud ring of boo's, and girls were squealing and trying to immediately find their dance partners.

Blaise's eyes caught Annabelle's.

"May I have this dance?" he asked in an accent that was supposed to be funny, (It didn't make Annabelle laugh) and outstretching his hand so it was inches away from her. She looked at it coldly, before pushing it away from her gently.

"I'd rather not, tell you the truth."

"Ouch. Rejection much?" he joked, though she knew he was irritated.

She ignored it and walked away to get some punch, when she saw Harry. He was sitting at a table alone, playing with his hands uncomfortably. He looked sad, and wasn't saying much to anyone who passed by him.

Annabelle watched him from a distance, before finally deciding to walk on over and start a conversation.

She sat beside him carefully, and Harry looked up with a pained and definitely forced smile.

"Something bothering you Harry?" she asked softly.

He didn't say anything, and continued to play with his hands underneath the table.

The slow song seemed to go on forever, and Annabelle looked around, trying to spot who was dancing with whom.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you,_

_Cause I know that you feel me somehow._

_You're the closest to heaven, that I'll ever be_

_And I don't want to go home right now._

Neville was dancing with Ginny, and Ron was dancing with a girl named Lavendar. Annabelle hadn't had much the time to introduce herself to the girl.

"I can't believe it's been fifteen years," Harry said quietly; so quietly that Annabelle thought that it was part of the music, his voice was so soothing.

For a minute, Annabelle thought she was going to ask him what happened fifteen years ago, but then remembered.

Of course, today was the day both of his parents had died.

_And I don't want the world to see me,_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

_When everything's meant to be broken,_

_I just want you to know who I am._

"Harry I'm so, so, sorry," she said, her voice barely audible over the song. "If there's anything I can do, anything at – "

"You can go with me," Harry said, raising his head and staring straight at her icy eyes, very hard. It seemed as if he only just thought of an idea, and by the look on his face, it was a very good one.

Why, why, why, did he always have to make her blush?

"Go with you? To where?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Their cemetery. It's been fifteen years and I haven't seen it once. Please," he added, when he saw the hesitant look on Annabelle's face. "We'll be quick, and we won't get caught. I need to see it Annabelle. Now more than ever."

She bit her lip as a voice in her head screamed "NO! NO! NO!" but she felt her heart pounding like crazy underneath her rib cage.

"But how? I mean, we can't apparate or – "

"We need to get out of the gates, then we can apparate underneath my invisiblility cloak," Harry said quickly, glad that Annabelle still didn't disagree.

Annabelle took her chance and gazed her eyes at Harry. His were the darkest but lightest green she's ever seen, and for the first time, she thought she sensed hurt in them. Her mind flashed back to the first day of school, when he jumped off the moving train with her.

Annabelle couldn't help but say yes.

"If we'll get into trouble I swear I'll – "

It's as if Harry's face was darkened because suddenly his features lit up intensely, and he was smiling so broadly Annabelle felt that she made a good decision… for now.

"You mean it? You're willing to risk getting expelled for this?" he asked, almost as if he didn't believe it.

"Yeah well, I'd rather not but I guess I kind of see your point," she said reasonably. "But back to what I was saying… If we get caught I will not only yell at you and punch you in the face, I'll literally throw you in the ground and turn the entire wizarding world against you."

Annabelle thought she heard Harry smirk, but he hid it well when he looked up.

"Fine, but when we don't get caught," he said, and Annabelle hated how confident he sounded right now. "You're going to have to do my homework for a month."

Annabelle opened her mouth in protest, but then closed it smugly. "And when we DO get caught, you have to do my homework for a week, plus holding my books to classes."

"Deal."

"Deal," she replied, crossing her arms.

They sat there, staring at each other in a trance until the other person blinked, before Harry realized what was happening.

"Okay, well. I think we should go, you know," he said sarcastically.

Annabelle snapped back into reality. "Right, let's go," she said, jumping up and heading towards the door.

Both of them walked to the common room in silence, Annabelle's stomach fluttering. She's never disobeyed the rules this much before, but in a way, it was exciting.

"I'm going to get the cloak. You could stay here, if you'd like," Harry said when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Annabelle nodded and watched as Harry disappeared into the portrait hole, straining her mind to think of a way to do this quickly, and quietly.

But her mind kept coming back to the one thing: Harry. His emerald green eyes that gazed at her with so much intensity… it always reddened her a little…

"Right, I'm back," Harry said, with the same cloak Annabelle recognized on the train. He must have been covered by this back then.

Harry gained his speed and started to walk to the main entrance of the castle, with Annabelle right behind him, hurrying so she could keep up.

"Where are we exactly going to apparate to?" Annabelle asked trying to sync in step with Harry.

"Godrics Hollow. That's where their buried," he answered.

Annabelle made a face at him. "Isn't that a bit far? I mean – "

She didn't finish though, because at that moment Harry threw the cloak over both of them and pressed his hand against her mouth. She stared at him in disbelief, and in his other free hand he pointed to where Draco was standing alone with Pansy.

What's going on?

"Pansy listen," Draco said, although he sounded extremely tired. "He gave me the work to do. And if I don't he'll kill me. I just don't have time for this – " he waved his arms at her and him. "Right now. When all of it's over, then we can you know, date again."

"But Draco, _please_," Pansy begged.

"I have to," said.

She watched helplessly as her brother kissed Pansy one last time on the forehead, and then left; leaving her alone and heart broken in the middle of the hallway.

Pansy did cry – a lot. But before the tears reached a high point, she ran down the hall and towards the washrooms.

Harry then let go of his grasp on Annabelle, and she herself felt heart broken, but only for her brother.

Then she was angry. What job? And who wants to kill him? He didn't tell her anything! She'll find out soon though, and boy does he have some explaining to do.

"Wow," Harry said.

Annabelle nodded speechlessly at his side, unable to move.

"Come on," he said after a while, pulling her outside with him. The moment they stepped outside, Annabelle shivered.

"Are you cold?" Harry asked with concern as they kept walking to the gates.

"I'm fine," she told him, becoming aware that she was centimeters away from him. She's never been this close to him and suddenly she felt as if self-conscious.

The gates were huge, golden brass things. Annabelle's head was spinning from just looking at them and she had no idea whatsoever how her and Harry are going to get through. Harry kept glancing behind his shoulder ever so often, as if her were expecting someone to pop up out of no where.

Finally, they were both standing in front of the gates, and Harry didn't hesitate longer than a second before coming before them and pulling them open.

Annabelle didn't expect the gates to open easily; in fact she thought that they'd spend the entire night figuring out how to do it.

But she was wrong.

With an easy _click,_ the gates swung open, and Harry stepped back, unsure if they should walk through, or stay where they are.

Finally, Annabelle said, "Are we going?"

Harry nodded and grabbed her arm. Both of them closed their eyes, and Harry led her through slowly.

They blinked in surprise when nothing happened.

"Well that was hard," Annabelle said sarcastically, but secretly relieved.

Harry busied himself by unfolding the clock and throwing it over the both of them. "Yeah, well. Do you know how to apparate?"

Annabelle shook her head. "No."

Harry smiled at her warmly and the embarrassment of not knowing how to apparate in front of Harry faded immediately in Annabelle.

"Well, you better hold on tight then, I don't think I know how to do it that well yet," he said, sounding a little worried but his voice was stern.

Annabelle obeyed by grabbing his hand and squeezing as tightly as she could with closed eyes.

"Ow! No need to crush my hand," he said jokingly, and Annabelle released some of the pressure with a shy and embarrassed smile.

"Sorry."

"All right, on three. One, two, three – "

And the last thing Annabelle saw was a bird fly across the sky before she was sucked into a desperation hole and couldn't breathe.

- - - -


	14. Uh oh

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!

I'm sorry my updates take a while guys. You could call me a pathetic lump, because seriously, I know I am. I blame my teachers - all of them were nice to give me a test everyday for school in the past week. Sorry. But don't give up on the story! Trust me, it's just starting to get good. 8)

Thank you to zoey zink, kt . potter93, Spelllesswonder29, and BellaCullen2312 for the reviews, each one made me smile so much that by the end of the day my mom seriously was going to smack me in the face because the goofy look was starting to annoy her. :P

To my new readers: Don't-Feed-The-Drummers, NIGHTCAT11, Godrico Gryffindor, and Lost Beloved. Thank you!

Shutting up now. :) OH PS (Yeah I know, so much for the shutting up part) I PROMISE I WILL UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY BECAUSE THIS ONE IS KIND OF SHORT AND THATS NOT FAIR TO YOU GUYS! :D

Okay. Stop typing now, Mags.

- - - -

"Godrics Hollow," Harry said softly when they arrived in the middle of a little village. It was windy and the place was filled with colors thanks to the abandoned leaves on the streets. It looked like a cozy village except Annabelle wasn't really paying attention because she was still trying to catch her breath from that awful deoxygenated hole.

When she straightened up, Harry was admiring the houses.

"Do you think we'll be able to find the cemetery?" he asked, and Annabelle could sense a tint of nervousness in his voice.

"I'm sure we will."

Harry smiled at her reassurance but then his eyes were looking over her shoulder and there was a sort of mistiness in them. Curious, Annabelle turned around and followed his gaze towards a family that stood in front of a store. A little boy, a mother, and a father.

The father held the child in his arms and was tickling him mercifully, while the mother was alongside them, giggling uncontrollably.

Annabelle felt a jolt of sadness for Harry so she grabbed his hand and pulled him into another street, towards someone who can help them with directions.

Harry followed Annabelle with his head bowed down, not saying a word. Annabelle should have never agreed to this – if they get caught… oh she doesn't even want to think about it.

Annabelle led him down the street until she caught sight of an old lady, walking opposite of them.

She hurried over as quickly as she could and smiled her brightest smile.

"Excuse me, miss," she said politely.

The lady looked up and she smiled as well, a comforting smile in Annabelle's opinion.

"Yes?"

Encouraged, Annabelle said, "We were wondering if you could tell us where the cemetery is?"

The lady pointed her cane in the direction. "Just walk straight until you come across a park, turn left and you should see the cemetery in no time."

"Thank you," Annabelle said kindly.

The woman nodded and started walking off, and so did Harry and Annabelle, this time Harry was in front of Annabelle.

She could tell by the way he walked and the way he talking that Harry was nervous. He looked worried too, because his forehead creased whenever he was worried.

They kept walking, mostly in silence except for the occasional pep talks from Harry, and she tried not to think of Hogwarts.

_For Harry, Annabelle. Keep it together for Harry._

Finally after what felt like hours, they reached a little cemetery, just a little away from the town, with graves standing out like rocks. Then again, they almost _were_ rocks.

Annabelle found herself frozen, but continued to walk when Harry was pulling her inside.

The graveyard looked empty; dead. It didn't look real.

Harry was already off reading the stones, and moving on slower and slower with every step.

Thinking she was probably acting pathetic, Annabelle followed his ways except in the opposite direction glancing at a few words at a time. At some graves, she felt her own heart crack.

"_Carolyn Brown Age: 15_

_Loved and Never will be Forgotten."_

"_Thomas Brooke Age: 9_

_Can't Wait to See You In Heaven, Love."_

"_Gretta Martins Age: 88_

_Rest In Peace."_

A twig snapped in the bushes, causing Annabelle's washed over eyes look straight in that area. It looked normal, nothing out of the ordinary. A few over grown bushes. But she was positive she didn't just dream that sound. Shaking it off but still cautious, Annabelle looked away.

"Annabelle."

The pain in that one word was tearing Annabelle apart. She hated cemeteries. She hated death. She hated the hurt of losing a loved one.

Numbly, she looked over where Harry was standing, in front of two graves that were side by side.

Her legs carried her all the way to him, her mind still not registering the fact that Harry was standing over his dead parents graves.

She approached him carefully and stood beside him, reading the grave that meant most to Harry.

" _James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31__October 1981_

_The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."_

From the corner of her eye, Annabelle watched Harry. His expression was grim, and he was taking big gulps of air at a time, to steady himself. He was not crying though.

Annabelle gripped his hand and he returned the pressure, but then his eyes went over looking around the cemetery.

She realized he was trying to find something to put on the gravestones so she was looking too, until she remembered she was mother nature for Halloween.

Picking out the nicest and prettiest flowers that were in her hair, she made a little bouquet, and gave it to Harry wordlessly.

He took them, knelt down, and placed them as gently as a feather landing on the marble gravestone. Harry then bowed down his head as if in prayer, whispering a few words that Annabelle didn't even try to catch. It wasn't any of her business anyways.

When Harry straightened up, he took Annabelle's hand again, and then led her out of the cemetery, out of sight of Lily and James' gravestones, and away from the pain that was hurting him.

They walked on, a bit farther away from town and were getting ready to apparate back to Hogwarts. Harry had the invisibility cloak in his arms, and was pulling out his wand when a voice said,

"Potter."

Harry whipped his wand right out and spun to face a cruel death eater, standing inches meters away from them.

Annabelle took her steps carefully and slowly turned to face the evil, and almost stumbled backwards.

"Bellatrix," she whispered, more of fright then of reason.

The woman pulled her hood down and giggled coldly.

"What are you doing out of school grounds, Potter?" she asked, examining her wand and twirling it in her fingers. She looked most uninterested in Harry at the moment.

Annabelle heard light footprints and turned around. Two other death eaters were approaching them from behind, with their wands raised defiantly.

_But back to what I was saying… If we get caught I will not only yell at you and punch you in the face, I'll literally throw you in the ground and turn the entire wizarding world against you._

Annabelle couldn't help but think of those words right now.

"And who is this?" Bellatrix asked with interest, stepping closer to see Annabelle. Annabelle responded by taking a step back, and trying to hide her face in the shadows. If Bellatrix found out she was with Harry, she'd tell Annabelle's parents… and that simply couldn't happen.

"Is the little dearie scared?" Bellatrix cackled, taking a step forward again.

Annabelle suddenly remembered stuffing her wand in the bag of her skirt, so she pulled it out quickly and held it in front of her defensively, not a single spell coming into her mind at the moment.

"Stay away from me," she said.

Bellatrix was smiling as if in amusement, and took another step, getting closer, and closer.

Suddenly a flash of white erupted from Harry's wand, and Bellatrix's wand went flying – much to Bellatrix's surprise.

"She said to stay away from her," he growled.

Bellatrix turned on Harry, fire in her eyes.

Annabelle felt herself trembling from anger. She couldn't help but let a flashback take over her mind.

"_Oh come on now Belle, it's not that difficult," Bellatrix said, moving her wand in the way Annabelle was supposed to._

"_Just say 'Crucio', and point it at a target. Watch me."_

_Bellatrix turned on Annabelle's puppy, with an unexplained gleam shining in her eyes. She pointed the wand at the dog defiantly, and stood still for a moment. Then she whipped her wand around so fast it was barely visible and said, "Crucio!"_

_The puppy fell from its four paws and whined, barking and struggling with the curse. Annabelle watched in terror and ran to the dog._

"_Stop Auntie! Auntie, you're hurting him! Please, please, _please_!"_

Coming back into the present, Annabelle shivered a little, and only then realized she had unshed tears in her eyes. Bellatrix was a terrible person. _Terrible. _

Then she thought of Harry, of his beautiful emerald eyes, and the fluttering butterflies she got when he smiled around her.

"Crucio!" The two other death eaters shouted unexpectedly, streaks of red heading towards Harry. Harry, surprised, dodged one of them, but the other one was too fast, so it hit Harry. Annabelle screamed.

But it didn't affect him. The curse bounced right off into the direction of the other death eaters, but they jumped in time.

Everyone was gaping and surprised.

Then another death eater turned on Annabelle, firing the same curse. Annabelle looked just in time, but she was too stunned to move. Harry tried to jump in front of her to take the curse, but the same thing happened. It bounced off of Annabelle.

Bellatrix was fuming and looked like she was about to explode.

Harry threw Annabelle a bewildered glance, which Annabelle returned. Then she thought of Dumbledore.

"_The ability is, well, like a shield. It protects yourself from anything. The unforgivable curses, and normal day-to-day curses._"

Was the so-called shield actually working?

Harry walked away from Annabelle, a small grin playing on his lips. "I guess you guys can't really attack us," he told them seriously, but Annabelle knew inside he was laughing.

Annabelle stopped trembling, and was feeling confident as well. She raised her wand higher, but it didn't stop the death eater from shooting another curse at Harry.

Harry raised his arms above his head smiling, almost happy to be taking in the Unforgivable curse, and have it rebound.

But this time, it _didn't_ rebound.

In seconds he was on the ground screaming in agony and twisting every part of his body. Annabelle watched in horror, both hands clasped on her mouth.

"Harry!" she cried, wanting more than ever to punch Bellatrix in the face. But the curse wore off, and now Bellatrix was smiling happily, and bent over Harry. Poor Harry was breathing heavily and lay panting on the ground.

"You spoke too soon, Potter," she said.

The fury towards Bellatrix that Annabelle had was at the top. She's never felt this much hatred to a person before, she Annabelle did something she's never done before.

She ran to Bellatrix and pushed her on the ground with all her might, causing Bellatrix to tumble on the ground and lose her wand.

Triumphantly but still afraid, she grabbed Harry's arm tightly.

"Apparate Harry," she told him urgently, and more frightened because she saw the death eaters raising their wands to stun Annabelle. "Harry!"

He looked at her with those beautiful green eyes, causing her heart stop. Returning the pressure, he held on tightly, and in seconds time, everything began to vanish.

Bellatrix was standing now, and her face was unreadable when she saw Annabelle disappearing with Harry.

The last thing Annabelle heard was Bellatrix saying, "Annabelle."

- - - -


	15. Death Eaters

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! :(

ALL RIGHT GUYS! Here's Part 15! As promised, on a Wednesday. Though it's a very late Wednesday, and I apologize. It's long though! So that's good news :)

I'd like to wish my dad a happy birthday, cause he's turning 40. So happy birthday daddy!

And as usual, thank you to my AMAZING reviewers - kt . potter93, BellaCullen2312, and Spelllesswonder29. I love you and your reviews! Oh, and thanks to the new readers... Clear Blue Rain, hinatafan66, and Night-Storms.

My goal is 55 reviews for this 15th chapter. Do you think you guys can accomplish my goal? :)

Happy Thanksgiving for those living in the States! Have a goooood turkey!

- - - -

Annabelle woke up the next morning in her dormitory, feeling fear creep up in her chest. Of course Bellatrix recognized her, and of course she'd tell her sister, Narcissa that her own daughter was off of school grounds with Harry Potter.

The most positive thing in this situation was the fact that Harry didn't hear Bellatrix – or at least Annabelle didn't think so, because he didn't react in any different way.

She didn't know what to do anymore seeing as in a few weeks, Draco and Annabelle were to come home for Thanksgiving for the weekend.

_Oh great._

Last night when Annabelle and Harry arrived at Hogwarts, they went straight to the party and acted like nothing happened. Hermione and Ron weren't so agreeing about that so they demanded to know where they were first thing in the morning.

Annabelle rolled over to check the time and saw it, "_6:04 am._"

Her head throbbing painfully, she got up and dressed in jeans and a sweater. Knowing she couldn't sleep any longer, she stepped out of her dormitory and went into the common room which was completely empty.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Annabelle knew the voice and turned around to see Harry coming down the stairs. Her heart did a little flip.

"Not anymore," she admitted, blushing.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned on the doorway, just staring at Annabelle. She had no problem gazing at those intense emerald eyes as well.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," he finally said. "It didn't go as well as I thought. I'm so glad we're alive."

"Me too. But you do know that my homework is yours for a week now, right?"

Harry's head snapped up. "What?"

Annabelle grinned. "You remember the deal, don't you?"

He stared at her until the information settled in. "Oh yeah. But we didn't get caught," he pointed out.

"Yeah we did. Nearly got killed too."

"I was joking."

"It was a deal."

"Fine," Harry exasperated, looking annoyed. "I'll do your homework for you."

Annabelle smiled in achievement.

"Oh, and there was also this…" she said slowly, coming up to him carefully. He watched her in curiosity, and then Annabelle punched him in the shoulder – lightly, of course.

She walked away.

"What was that for?!" he asked outrageously.

"For getting caught," she said happily.

He grabbed a pillow off of the nearest chair and threw it at her, but she ducked just in time and instead it hit the vase, shattering it into a hundred little pieces.

Annabelle laughed. "Your aim sucks," she told him.

"Like you're any better," he muttered.

Annabelle grabbed a pillow off the sofa, and chucked it straight at Harry. He ducked, but it hit him full on the face anyways. Now that's, what Annabelle called Quidditch Practices coming in handy.

He groaned. "I never remember getting hit by a pillow as part of the deal."

"I never remembered a boy hitting a girl with a pillow as an option," she responded.

He sighed and followed her to the window, who didn't seem to notice, as she was too busy gazing at the beauty of the lake. She wondered if she'd ever go swimming in it. Maybe some time in the summer she'll be able to persuade her friends to go with her. Annabelle of course didn't feel Harry's presence behind her, so when she turned around with her arms outstretched, she hit Harry straight on the mouth accidentally. He staggered backwards and fell on the couch.

"And I never remember being slapped as part of the deal, either," he said faintly.

"Sorry Harry!" Annabelle gasped and sat across from him on the couch. She felt herself heating up quite quickly. "Didn't mean to, honestly."

She got angry with herself. She's always hurting Harry accidentally.

"It's fine," Harry smiled, despite the red mark on his face.

They were quiet for a few minutes, looking anywhere but at themselves.

"Thanks Annabelle, really. I needed that evening. And I can't believe you'd agree to go with me. It meant – it meant a lot to me, for you being there when you didn't have to. So, uh, thanks."

She felt her lips rising up.

"That's what friends are for, aren't they?"

Harry nodded and smiled.

- - - -

Over the next few days Annabelle has been a nervous wreck. She wasn't sure how she was going to convince her parents it wasn't her with Harry at Godrics Hollow, and how she'll prepare herself for the ultimate grounding.

It didn't help that Hermione was furious with Annabelle and Harry for leaving school grounds. She hadn't uttered a single world since they've told her.

Oh, and matters aren't improving seeing as the first Quidditch match of the season is next week, and Annabelle has no idea how she's going to live through it.

She was sitting in the common room at a table with Neville and Harry, reading a book about Chaser techniques. Lately Harry has been piled with homework (Seeing as he's been doing both his and Annabelle's) but it was entirely his fault so Annabelle tried not to feel as guilty as she already was. She tried telling him that the deal was off and taking her homework away, but Harry kept holding onto it, repeating that he's a man that sticks to his word.

As much as Annabelle tried, she couldn't concentrate. Somehow her eyes zoomed over to the couch where Ron was sitting beside Lavendar, and Lavendar was sticking to him like a lost puppy. Inside, Annabelle couldn't help but feel a little disgusted. Lavendar was always ogling Ron with those big brown eyes and flipping her hair around her shoulder a thousand times.

Annabelle turned back her attention to the book and flipped the pages desperately. All there was in this were stories about the world's greatest chasers, and half of them ended up dead.

Frustrated, she slammed the book closed, and the echo bounced loudly off the walls. All eyes went to her – including Harry's and Neville's – and she turned a little pink.

"I'm going on a walk," she told them, walking straight up to her dormitory to get her jacket. Before she stepped through the archway, she saw Neville shrug half-heartedly to a confused Harry.

When she entered the room she didn't expect anyone to be in there, so naturally, she was surprised to see Hermione on her bed, focused on an essay. It was obvious Hermione was paying the least bit of attention towards Annabelle.

Realizing Annabelle probably looked pathetic standing by the door with a big book in her arms, she walked over to her trunk to pull out a coat and put her book away.

With a last furtive glance at Hermione, Annabelle was going to say something. But she thought better of it so she stormed out of the room and right out of the common room.

Annabelle never wanted to be more alone in her entire life. She felt tired, scared, nervous. Every emotion was weighing her down and she didn't know how to get rid of it. She stepped outside of the castle and felt a breeze of cool air on her cheeks. November was always lovely, and Annabelle didn't feel a little bit cold.

She was heading towards the direction of the Black Lake, when a figure caught her eye.

Her brother was leaning against the willow tree, alone, with a blank expression on his face that Annabelle never saw before.

Annabelle walked over to him, and sat beside him on the damp grass. Draco didn't turn to look at her, he was too busy daydreaming.

"Hey," Annabelle said softly, nudging him playfully in the ribs, "What's on your mind?"

Draco's tired icy eyes met the exact shade in hers.

"There's something I need to tell you, Belle," he said seriously, a little bit painfully.

All humor left Annabelle's body. "Like explaining to me why you broke up with Pansy?"

Draco looked shocked.

She continued, "I know you did. But I don't get it. You love her, don't you?"

He remained silent, staring out at the miles and miles of the lake. Annabelle didn't push him, she knew that doing so would only irritate him and he wouldn't answer her at all.

"I c-can't love her. Not this year, anyways," he answered.

Annabelle stared at him with an expression mixed with confusion and disbelief.

Finally, Draco exasperated and turned around, switching his sitting position so that he was cross legged, and facing Annabelle.

"Listen to me Annabelle. This is really important."

Both her ears were completely his.

"The Dark Lord has given me a mission to do," he said importantly. "It's big, and if I don't complete it, he'll – he'll kill me."

It was quiet and all they could hear was the soft ripples of water, before Annabelle asked, "What is it?"

Draco sighed. "I have to kill Dumbledore."

"_What?_"

Annabelle looked bewildered and stared at his eyes for answers. Unfortunately, there weren't any in his beautiful iris'.

"Murder Dumbledore?" Annabelle's voice was hollow. "You can't Draco, You can't!"

She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she continued to watch him, in case some answers would pop up.

"I-I have to," he whispered.

Annabelle couldn't believe it. Draco didn't _have_ to do anything.

"No you don't, Draco. You don't have to follow Voldemort," she stumbled with her words. Nothing made any sense to her.

Draco looked up, and gazed at her with tears in his eyes. He looked simply heart broken, and scared, like a lost two year old who couldn't find his mom. His expression reminded her of the time when they were eight years old, and their grandma died. He had the exact look on his face as he did now. "He'll kill me Belle. The Dark Lord will kill me if I don't follow his orders."

Annabelle just realized that the both of them were shaking.

"Run away," she said at once, although it was a pointless suggestion. "I'll go with you. We'll run away and escape into the muggle world. We'll destroy our wands and we'll live a free life. We won't follow our parents. You won't be a murderer. We'll be free." Even to herself, the suggestion seemed useless.

"H-He'll find us Belle. There's no point," he said quietly, his lip trembling slightly.

Then the truth hit her, hard. It was so unexpected Annabelle felt herself stagger backwards, her soul distancing away from all the bodies around her. Draco was foggy. It all started sinking in.

"They're going to make us death eaters then," her voice was toneless, and it sounded so normal it was like she was complimenting the weather or something. "That's why they want us home for Thanksgiving. We'll both be made into one of them." It was a fact, a statement. Yet it felt fuzzy towards her own ears.

Draco nodded numbly, and then he let the tears flow freely down his cheek as he grabbed her, and cried.

- - - -

Somehow, Annabelle's legs managed to reach her into the common room, but she was in a daze. Everything was misty and fuzzy. She felt like she was alone on the world, and couldn't understand what was happening at all.

The minute she stepped into the dormitory Hermione sensed something was wrong. She didn't say anything though, but after Annabelle sat on her bed without moving or speaking for half an hour, Hermione's anger transformed itself into worry.

"Anna?" she asked hesitantly, putting her textbook down. "What happened?"

Annabelle sat up straight in her bed and stared back at Hermione with lifeless eyes. Hermione was full of alert and they sat like that for a few seconds, before Annabelle burst out crying.

"Anna?!" Hermione said quickly, jumping to her feet and sitting beside Annabelle. She took her arm out and put it tentatively on Annabelle's shoulder. "Anna, what's wrong?"

Annabelle shook her head through her tears and put it on Hermione's shoulder sadly. All the while, Hermione stroked Annabelle's hair soothingly and held on to her. Hermione felt indifferent. Her best friends were boys, so she's never had a moment like this before. It felt good, felt what friends should do for each other.

"Hermione…" Annabelle sobbed, quivering uncontrollably.

"I'm here Anna," Hermione said comfortingly, playing with strands of Annabelle's golden blond hair. "Don't worry."

Annabelle didn't calm down one bit. "T-they're going – going to do it…. Hermione," she said, having trouble saying the words. "They're going to make us…."

"Make you what, Anna?"

Annabelle pulled away and looked deeply into Hermione's eyes. She was a wreck – Hermione's never seen Annabelle like this before. Her shocking icy eyes were colorless, and tears were engulfing everywhere. Annabelle's hair, which was put into a nice braid before she left, had now loose pieces of hair everywhere.

Hermione held her with sturdy hairs as she waited for the answer.

"Death Eaters," Annabelle sputtered, "They're going to turn me and Draco into Death Eaters."

- - - -


	16. Freedom

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!

Allrighty guys, part 16! And I'm so happy because we reached my goal! 55 reviews?! THATS AMAZING! Thank you so much! 3

I want to tell you about my life, but that will make me sound like a babbling idiot so I'll just keep it to the story. I like Harry's playfulness in this one, so I hope you like it too!

Thank you SO MUCH to my reviewers (YOU ARE AWESOME) kt . potter93, spannieren, Shadow Quil (I changed the Thanksgiving thing in this chapter, sorry about my mistake! x] ) Spelllesswonder29, Clear Blue Rain, BellaCullen2312, and hollowbastiongrl! You guys are amazing. Oh and lets not forget the new readers, spannieren, CharChar93, Rugglet, and NightWindAlchemist!

Enjoy! :)

- - - -

Hermione managed to calm Annabelle down after an hour, and by then it was time for dinner. Now the problem was getting Annabelle out of her bed and going to eat.

Annabelle didn't mind staying in the bed forever, but Hermione obviously wouldn't hear of it.

"Anna! You are going down to eat whether you like it or not, so get up!" Hermione demanded, after standing by Annabelle's bed angrily for ten minutes.

"I'm not hungry," Annabelle mumbled in her pillow, switching her body position on the bed so all that Hermione could see was her blond hair.

Hermione crossed her arms tiredly, waiting for Annabelle to turn around.

"Just forget about the whole thing Anna," she told her reasonably. "Thinking about it will definitely not help you, and you don't have to be made into anything."

"I'm. Not. Going. To. Be. A. Death. Eater!" Annabelle screamed furiously into her pillow. Thank goodness it was into the pillow, because Hermione thought the entire castle would have heard that.

"Exactly Anna, they won't make you. You always have us in the end anyways, so come on, lets go eat."

In the end, Annabelle finally agreed and she felt much better. She wasn't going to end up as a murderer, she had better plans in her future.

In the Great Hall, she sat across from Hermione and Ron, eating more food than the entire time she's been here. She's not going to let this get to her. Besides, she doesn't need to worry about anything until Thanksgiving. She found it weird that her family decided to celebrate it this year. Thanksgiving was an American feast, so it made no sense to why her British family celebrated it. She guessed it had to be some sort of excuse to get Draco and herself out of school. With a sigh, she decided to brain wash the entire thing out of her head.

"Hey Ron, where's Harry?" Hermione asked with a frown, realizing he wasn't in the Great Hall at all.

Ron shrugged and swallowed the massive piece of chicken he managed to fit into his mouth. "Said he wasn't hungry, so I guess he's not coming down for dinner." He looked at Annabelle who was currently attacking the biggest mushroom she's seen in her life.

"Why the sudden hunger rush, Anna?" he asked with a small smile.

Annabelle didn't answer, she was too busy concentrating on stabbing the mushroom in all various places possible. She was still letting out steam. Everything seemed unfair, especially to Draco. With a jolt, she remembered she hadn't told Hermione anything about Draco's mission. But then again, it was probably better to keep that part quiet.

"She's angry," Hermione answered for her, which pulled Annabelle straight out of her thoughts.

Yes, she was angry. In fact, she was furious! Why shouldn't she? She hated the world and its unfairness.

"Why?" Ron asked bluntly.

Hermione glanced uncertainly at Annabelle, who was now making patterns out of her mashed potatoes.

"Anna?"

"What?" Annabelle put the fork down loudly.

Hermione tilted her head towards Ron, who was gaping at her with gravy oozing out of his mouth.

Annabelle bit her lip. "I don't know Hermione."

"Ronald, if there's something important we have to say to you, and you promise you won't tell anyone, will you?" Hermione asked imploringly.

"Not even Harry," Annabelle whispered.

Ron, and even Hermione turned on Annabelle in confusion. "Why wouldn't you want Harry to know?"

"I'll tell him," Annabelle said quickly. "I promise I will. Just, not now."

Hermione looked troubled by this, and a little uneasy.

"Hermione, I just… I promise I'll tell him. When I feel like it's time, I will."

Hermione nodded her head. She then faced Ron and began telling him everything from the beginning, of Annabelle being Draco's sister (WHAT?!) and of her being turned into a Death Eater. (WHAT WHAT!?)

Throughout it all, Annabelle kept her head bowed down as if in shame.

"No one can know Ron, so don't tell anybody. Not even Harry, for now," Hermione finished, eyeing Annabelle at the last sentence.

Ron stared at Annabelle. She wasn't sure if it was of horror, or of complete confusion. Annabelle was about to apologize, but then he spoke quietly.

"But you're nothing like Draco… in fact, you're more like the exact opposite."

Annabelle smiled sadly. Ron was still gaping at her, and she did not take this as a good sign.

"A death eater? You're going to be a follower of You-Know-Who?" he shook his head. "I can't imagine you like that."

"I said I'll be forced to be one, Ron," Annabelle said softly. "I can try to get away – I want to get away from that more than anything. But if in the end, I'm going to be a death eater, I'll definitely not act like one."

"But how do we know that?" Ron said, and Annabelle felt the words as a slap on the face. Surely Ron trusted her, didn't he?

"R-Ron, I – "

"Look," Ron said stubbornly, although he was still shocked. "All I know is that one of my friends is going to be a follower of the darkest wizard alive. A wizard that wants my best friend dead. I don't know Anna. I don't know."

And with that, he left the table, a sorry expression on his face, leaving Hermione and Annabelle alone.

If Annabelle wasn't in front of public right now, she's probably start crying again. She felt a huge hole rip the inside of her heart.

"Anna," Hermione started soothingly. "Ron's going to come to his senses. He's your friend, he won't turn on you like that."

Annabelle didn't feel so reassured. Instead, she tried to push away the thought that kept bugging her from the moment Ron left.

'_There goes one of your friends._'

- - - -

Annabelle was shivering Tuesday evening, while at practice with the Gryffindors. They've been in the air for about an hour already and weren't doing too bad. Everyone was in groups now; the chasers were practicing on Ron, and the beaters were trying to hit Harry with the bludger.

Annabelle was doing so much better than she's ever had before, scoring more points than Ginny or Katie.

She was so happy and thankful that Ron helped her, though he was still moody and did not to talk to her, as much as she tried to being up a conversation.

Annabelle was worried that the team wouldn't like her, but she was wrong. Everyone turned out to be so nice to her and helped her so she could be better. Ginny was the kindest, in Annabelle's opinion, complimenting Annabelle and laughing with her during practice. Now Quidditch was something Annabelle actually looked forward to.

"All right guys!" Harry yelled, signaling for them to come down on their broomsticks. Everyone zoomed pass each other, landing softly in front of Harry who was beaming at them all. Annabelle stood beside Ginny.

"Great practice guys," Harry told them happily, staring at Annabelle the whole time. She couldn't help but grin. "If you fly like this next week, we'll beat Hufflepuff with no problem."

"Yeah we'll own!" exclaimed Peakes, high fiving Katie, who was laughing.

"I'm so proud of all of you. Great job team," Harry told them. "You can go get changed now. Once again, Amazing job."

The team was beaming when they left the Quidditch pitch, laughing along the entire way. Annabelle walked alongside Ginny into the girls change room.

"So Anna, have a date for the Yule Ball yet?" she nudged her, laughing at Annabelle's expressionless face.

Truth was, Annabelle didn't even think about it lately. Ginny was right though, the Yule Ball was only next month.

"Not yet, I don't think," Annabelle admitted. "I completely forgot about it!"

Ginny smiled knowingly. "Well, I'm going to shower. See you later Anna," Ginny said, waving to her friend goodbye and stepping into the shower.

Annabelle went to her locker and grabbed the book bag she left in there earlier. She was in such a rush to make it in time for practice, she threw her books at random in the locker. She had so much homework tonight and was not looking forward to it one bit.

Changing into some jeans and a shirt, she threw her practice clothes in a laundry bin, and ran a comb through her hair.

When she was finished she walked outside, but was surprised to see Harry there, still in his Quidditch clothes. He was leaning against the wall, and it looked like he was expecting her.

"Hey Harry," Annabelle said, approaching him. "What are you still doing, not changed?"

He grinned at her. "Enjoying the fresh air."

She sent a small smile his way. "Well, I hope you have fun with that. See you in the common room then."

"Wait – " he called, before she even got close to escaping from him.

She turned around. "Yeah?"

There was a mischievous look in Harry's eyes, and Annabelle wasn't sure it was a good thing.

"You've forgotten something," he told her, picking up a wand from the ground. It only took Annabelle a few seconds to realize that it was her own, so she made a move to grab it.

"Thanks Harry. How stupid of me to have lost it like that – "

But as soon as Annabelle's hands were inches away from the wand, Harry pulled it away and retracted a few steps.

"Harry?"

"You have to come get it. Come on, don't you want your wand back?" he mocked, with a playful grin plastered on his face.

This reminded her of the time when he took her Transfiguration textbook and demanded for her to try out for the Quidditch team.

She groaned and crossed her arms.

"Give it here, Harry," she told him sternly.

But Harry's face was lit with amusement and he was skipping with the wand in his hand, heading for the Quidditch Pitch.

"Harry!" Annabelle called after him, not enjoying this one bit.

He was singing some song at the top of his lungs and Annabelle stared – it was the only thing she could do – when she heard him hit the high notes, his voice cracking and sounding awful.

She giggled a little before succumbing, throwing her book bag on the ground and running after him.

He noticed her coming and picked up his pace too, laughing as she desperately tried to lunge at him.

"Come on," she whined, when she saw him mount his broom and fly into the air with a gleeful face. She watched as he zoomed in and out, once coming so close the breeze he caused caught Annabelle's hair and it flew around violently.

He looked so peaceful when he was flying on the broom, as if glad he was finally free. Annabelle adjusted her weight on the other foot, hesitated, then took the broom nearest her and joined him in the air.

"I knew you'd come fly with me sooner or later," he told her knowingly, guiding his broom around the pitch very fast.

Annabelle flushed and chased after him in the air, whirling, zooming, halting – doing everything she could to get her wand back.

But Harry was the better flyer, and Annabelle had no way of retrieving her wand in the air. So instead she just flew, let the breeze tussle her hair, and let the presence of being with Harry Potter sink in.

Because it was a great feeling. To finally be free.

- - - -

* Just a little note to my friends Spellleswonder29, kt . potter93, and BellaCullen2312!

You guys are seriously amazing! I can't believe after all this time... you're still reviewing! It makes me smile everytime I see that you guys reviewed and I'm so happy to have such consistent readers! I don't want to make you guys feel obliged to review every chapter - you dont have to! I'm so glad that you do, but I really don't want to force you guys, aha! But thank you for being the best, most wonderful readers ever!

MAGS


	17. Bang!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! That all belongs to J.K Rowling :(

All righty guys, sorry I haven't uploaded in so long! I'm going away tomorrow, so I won't be on the computer for a while AGAIN, but to make up for the lack of updates, I'll update again on the 28th. Which means, after Christmas. So everyone, have a VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS, and/or ANY OTHER WONDERFUL CELEBRATIONS YOU CELEBRATE!

I'd like to thank the A.M.A.Z.I.N.G reviwers - Spelllesswonder29, xxbabyxox, kt . potter93, spannieren, Shadow Quil, BellaCullen2312, and Reyrayankar! That is so much reviews for one chapter, and it literally made my day! Thanks a bunch with caramel hearts! :D And of course, to the new readers... Evelyn Mia Scarletts, and FrankH1992!

Love you all, have a Happy Christmas!

- - - -

On Friday afternoon, Annabelle was in Charms class in between Seamus and Dean again. Today they were learning how to make small explosions corrupt from the tip of their wands. For safety reasons, Annabelle decided to sit this one out and was working on a thick package she received from Professor Flitwick instead.

It was impossible for Annabelle to believe that she was passing with an 'Exceeds Expectations.' It was a miracle seeing all she was doing was working on papers, essays – no magic whatsoever.

"Seamus, I told you a thousand times before, there is no giant squid in the black lake," Dean exasperated. Annabelle realized that Seamus and Dean were always arguing about the stupidest things. Today's topic? If the giant squid really exists.

"There is!" Seamus retorted half-angrily, half-determined. "Students are always talking about it – "

"Doesn't mean it's real," Dean pointed out.

"Dumbledore even mentioned it once – "

"To scare kids so they wouldn't go swimming in the lake," Dean said reasonably, sighing and picking up his wand. "If there was a giant squid, we would have seen it by now."

Seamus looked abashed. "There is a giant squid! It really exists! Right Anna?" He said, turning on Annabelle now.

She shrugged. "Don't drag me into this," she said, flipping over page twenty eight in her worksheets. Man Flitwick sure knows how to stress people out, she thought.

Seamus slumped into his chair muttering inconsistent words furiously.

"Very well class," Flitwick started, standing on a very high stool so that the students could have a clear view of him. Dean and Seamus turned their attention on Flitwick, but Annabelle ignored him and continued working on the papers.

"Today we will be learning how to make small explosions come out of your wand. This is a very responsible task so I must ask you to always pay attention and _focus._ Now, with the wand you are to make a little circle and then a slash. While doing so, I'd like you to repeat the words… _pulsus sursum_."

Flitwick demonstrated the charm and when a small explosion like fireworks came out of his wand, the class gasped and stared in awe.

"All right, your turn!" he squeaked, coming down to the students and watching them carefully.

Dean and Seamus straightened up and pointed their wands out, both clearing their throats at the same time.

"Pulsus Sursum!" they both said boldly at once, with decisive expressions on their faces.

Annabelle smirked when nothing happened

"Shut up Anna," Seamus said under his breath, trying once again.

That's how the entire class went by. Annabelle was close to tears near the end when Seamus' wand wasn't cooperating with him at all, and where the most Dean's gotten was making smoke appear at the tip of his wand.

"You stupid wand," Dean said, irritated beyond belief. "Come _on_! Pulsus Sursum!"

This time his wand made a farting noise, and Annabelle laughed even harder.

Dean turned a light shade of red when all eyes zoomed to him in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Seamus was constantly repeating the spell, annoying Annabelle out of her mind.

"Pulsus Sursum! Pulsus Sursum! Pulsus Sursum!"

She tried concentrating on the question in front of her, unclenching and clenching her fist…

"Pulsus Sursum! Pulsus Sursum! Pulsus Sursum!"

Annabelle's annoyance got the best of her. She slammed her clenched fist on the table and stared at Seamus evenly. "Will you _be quiet_?!"

"No," he snapped back, returning his attention to the wand. He purposely started saying the spell louder than before, just to madden Annabelle more.

"Pulsus Sursum! Pulsus Surs – "

**BANG!**

The biggest explosion ever erupted from Seamus' wand, and because he, Annabelle and Dean were closest to him, the force of it knocked them all backwards and Annabelle felt herself soaring through the classroom. Shocked, she tried to find ground but couldn't when she was literally flying in the air. All she saw was black smoke and a little fire blazing in the corner of the classroom when she felt herself crash gruesomely into a wall.

Her right side of her body hitting it first, she felt a deafening _crack_ and a shock of pain in her right arm, before hitting the ground awkwardly.

She moaned, knowing her right arm has been broken, and the pain kept pounding, enabling her to think.

There was a lot of coughing in the classroom, along with a lot of screams.

"Now, now!" Flitwick was shouting among all the other students. "Everyone calm! You all know the water spell? Aguamenti? Let's go!" he ordered.

There were several cries of "Aguamenti!" and soon the smell of fire was gone. But it didn't get rid of the smoke as easily. Annabelle still couldn't see a thing.

She could hear Flitwick saying something, some kind of charm, and eventually, all the smoke was sucked up into his wand.

The first thing Annabelle saw was Flitwick, and if Annabelle wouldn't have been in so much pain, she would have laughed of the expression on his face.

His mouth was in a stern line and his hair was standing up in all angles with black smudges on his face.

The second thing Annabelle saw was the entire classroom huddled in the middle of the room except for herself, Dean, and Seamus.

She spotted Dean right across from her, he looked fine, except he was wincing a lot.

Then she noticed Seamus who, for the most part, was shocked and gazing incredulity around the room. He had a scratch on his cheek but he seemed fine, because he was standing up.

"Who caused that _bomb_?!" yelled Flitwick. For a little guy, he had a big voice.

All eyes went to Seamus, who nervously raised his hand.

"Detention, Finnigan! Never have I taught such a foolish student. You'll be with me every day for two hours until the end of this semester," Flitwick said angrily, scolding him as much as possible.

Seamus looked pained. "But Professor – "

"NO BUTS!" Flitwick roared. Annabelle's first instinct was to cover her ears, but an intense pang went up her right arm and she flinched, so she decided it was better off to listen.

"You could have harmed many students, Finnigan. This was very irresponsible of you. I'm surprised we haven't been blown up at all! You could have gotten us killed!"

Seamus guilt was evident in his face. "I'm sorry – " he began.

"Class is over!" Flitwick announced bitterly, waving everyone away. "Out! Out! You'll be seeing me later tonight Finnigan."

Seamus looked anything but excited for it.

The students hurried out of the classroom, some snickering, others looking sorrowfully at Seamus. Flitwick was gone too, to inform Dumbledore of the 'little' racket that occurred in his classroom.

In the end, it was only Annabelle, Seamus, and Dean left.

Seamus was absolutely miserable. "Sorry guys," he mumbled, going over to help Annabelle up.

He took Annabelle's right hand and pulled; then a furious shock spread in her arm and Annabelle let out a cry of pain. Seamus immediately let go and looked worried.

"Anna?! Anna, did I hurt you?"

Annabelle shook her head but kept it down, waiting for the pain to pass.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Seamus asked more urgently

"Nothing Seamus," she said through gritted teeth. "I think – I think I broke my arm."

"Oh god, it's all my fault," he said, grabbing her left arm and helping her stand up. "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital wing."

Dean was already standing, but Annabelle saw a purplish bluish bruise forming slowly on the side of his head. He had a big gash in his forehead, and it looked like the cut needed patching up.

Annabelle clasped her left hand to her mouth. "Dean – you're bleeding."

"Thanks, Mrs. Obvious," he said, with a small grin. He looked like he was hurt too.

Annabelle smiled a little bit, but Seamus pushed her so she kept walking on.

"Dean, come on. We need to go to the hospital wing," he said seriously.

Dean reluctantly agreed, but following them stubbornly from behind. "I hate you Seamus," he said as they walked. "You're a complete moron."

"Thanks, buddy," Seamus said sarcastically.

Annabelle laughed a little, and when they reached the hospital wing Madame Pomfrey merely raised her eyebrow in question.

"What happened?" she asked, and whiffing the horrible smell of smoke.

"Small accident," Dean informed her, throwing a glare at Seamus. "Anna broke her arm and I have a cut." He pointed to his forehead.

"Yes, I can see that," Madame Pomfrey said curtly, allowing them in. Annabelle had never been in the hospital wing before and noticed that everything looked so… white and clean. There was also that horrible hospital smell in the air.

Madame Pomfrey led Dean to a bed and put Annabelle in the bed right beside his. Apart from the two of them, there were only four other students in the room which were nosily watching them.

Seamus sat on a chair beside Annabelle and both of them were watching as Madame Pomfrey patched Dean up.

Right now she was dabbing on some green ooze which looked really disgusting on the cut on his forehead.

After a few seconds, Dean yelped and swore. "Ow! Damnit this thing stings!" he yelled, taking his hand to wipe it away. Madame Pomfrey grabbed his arms and didn't allow him to swipe at it.

"You'll feel better soon," she assured him. "Just leave it and it will work wonders."

Dean growled angrily and resisted the urge to punch her in the nose.

Madame Pomfrey turned on Annabelle. "As for you dear, I ran out of Skele-grow yesterday, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for me to heal your arm. Right now, make yourself comfortable and I'll be back shortly," she said.

Annabelle nodded, having no clue what Skele-grow was and wondering what Madame Pomfrey was getting now.

Dean was still swearing from his spot on the bed, irritating a Ravenclaw girl on the other side of the room.

"Will you _shut up_?" she said angrily, surprising Dean, who stopped mid sentence.

Seamus made a funny noise, and Annabelle realized he was trying hard not to laugh. Dean glared at him. "You're laughing now, but wait until I'm out of this bed. We'll have matching scars for the rest of our lives," he threatened, staring at the gash on Seamus' forehead.

Seamus just grinned.

- - - -

Annabelle felt weary when she woke up. Her eyelids wore so heavy she didn't want to open them, so she just laid in the Hospital Wing with closed eyes, her right arm very sore.

Before she fell asleep, Seamus kept apologizing to her constantly, until she told him to shut up as gently as she could.

She wished Madame Pomfrey had the bone grower thing because she wanted to be out of the hospital as soon as she could. The smell was irking her and she didn't like it one bit. Not to mention the food Madame Pomfrey would always bring tasted like rubber.

Suddenly, the door to the hospital wing opened and she heard voices; Harry and Hermione. She didn't hear Ron though, not that she was surprised, but she wished more than ever that he was here. She was about to open her eyes, when she heard Seamus as well.

"Harry, it's not like I killed her or anything. It was an accident – " He began, and his voice sounded defensive, a hint of anger in it as well.

The voices had come to an abrupt stop at her bed, and she tried her hardest to seem like she was sleeping.

"You broke her arm! There's a Quidditch game on Sunday, Seamus. We need her!" Harry said loudly.

"I understand Harry. But Madame Pomfrey could definitely heal it by then, it's only Friday evening!" Seamus pointed out.

Annabelle decided this would be the right time to open her eyes. So she did, carefully, but neither Harry nor Seamus were paying attention to her.

"Oh, and you don't think there will be any side effects?!"

"Anna!" Hermione gasped, when she saw Annabelle's eyes opened. Annabelle threw her a lazy smile, and both Seamus' and Harry's eyes zoomed over to her. Hermione still wasn't over Halloween, but she was giving Harry a harder time than Annabelle. At least they were on speaking terms anyways.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked gently, sitting on the side of Annabelle's bed. Annabelle pulled herself up so she was in a sitting position, and tried to ignore Harry and Seamus standing stupidly at the foot of her bed.

"I'm fine. More than that, great actually," Annabelle said, so they wouldn't be all so worried about her. "Just can't wait to get out of here. It's not that big of a deal, you know," she added, with a quick glance at Harry. "Just a broken arm."

Seamus' face lit up and he looked at Harry in a 'I-told-you-so' way.

Hermione nodded. "True. It's too bad Pomfrey couldn't get the Skele-grow today, you'll have to be here for a night."

"And the Skele-grow is annoying, trust me. It tastes disgusting," Harry added, with a playful grin on his face. Annabelle felt herself relax. The Harry Annabelle liked was back.

"How would you know?" she asked, pulling up a stool so Harry could sit down. She crossed her legs so that Seamus could sit on the bed across from her.

When they were all settled, Harry began to explain how he started with a broken arm, and ended with a boneless arm thanks to some idiot named "Lockhart."

"He was not an idiot," Hermione said defensively, "He was just a little full of himself, that's all. And terribly good-looking." Hermione eyes shone with dreaminess, and Harry shook his head in disgust.

"The guy was stupid Hermione," he told her. "Thought he knew every spell, and thanks to that, he got his brain washed out."

"Brain washed?" Annabelle asked, a little confused.

Harry turned his face so he was looking at Annabelle. "In the Chamber of Secrets, he tried to wipe mine and Ron's memory so that we would forget everything. Spell backfired, and landed himself in St. Mungos," he shrugged, with not an ounce of regret or concern.

Seamus smirked, and Annabelle felt her mouth open.

"He- He tried to wash out your memory?" she asked in a small voice.

Harry broke out into a small smile. "Told you he was an idiot."

Hermione let out a sarcastic remark that was barely audible, so Harry chose to ignore it. An awkward silence filled the room, and Annabelle looked over to the bed beside hers and noticed Dean was gone. She questioned them about it. This time, Seamus was doing all the talking.

"Remember when Madame Pomfrey put that green paste on his cut? After about ten minutes of having that on, all that was left was a little scar. Pomfrey wanted him to stay the night, but you know Dean. He kept trying until he finally got what he wanted. An exit free card from the hospital wing," he laughed, and Annabelle laughed a little too.

Seamus then looked at his watch and sighed, turning his brown eyes back on Annabelle.

"Listen Anna, I'm late for my detention with Flitwick. So I'll visit you tomorrow or something, okay?" he said, smiling at her.

"Okay."

Seamus nodded in Hermione's and Harry's direction, then left the hospital wing.

Hermione and Harry then began to fill her up with conversation, taking her mind out of things that were bothering her, and cheering her up so much she couldn't believe it.

Annabelle didn't believe in true friendship before. These people aren't even her best friends! But she knew that no matter where she was, they'd be there for her, and for that she was glad.

- - - -


	18. Angelic Face

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter :(

As promised! Chapter 18! :D

Firstly, I'd like to wish Spelllesswonder29 an AMAZING birthday. Have a good one!!

Secondly, I'd like to thank Spelllesswonder29, xxbabyxox, kt . potter93, Reyrayankar, spannieren, and Leanora for the reviews! You guys always make me smile :)

And of course, thanks to the new readers... BlueRose22, Miss Lemci, ImaBiteChu, asimplename, N.B. Potter, and Leanora(thanks for the msg, btw!).

Happy New Year everyone! 2010... WOOO!

- - - -

By the end of the day, Annabelle was surprised with the amount of visitors she got. And it really was only a broken arm, Annabelle didn't get why people were fussing over it.

After Harry and Hermione left, she was bored for about an hour, until Neville came, making Annabelle's day instantly. He only stayed for a few minutes though, then had to leave for his last class of the day. Then in the evening, Draco and his friends came by to see how she was doing as well.

Madame Pomfrey finally received the Skele-grow from Dumbledore and forced Annabelle to drink it – the most disgusting beverage ever. Annabelle swore she still had the bitter taste in her mouth hours after that.

Right now it was late, or early if you put it that way. Annabelle couldn't sleep at all, and the snores coming from the other kids in the hospital wing wasn't exactly relaxing her either.

Not to mention her right arm was blazing, but at least the medicine was doing its work.

Her mind went back to her thoughts, of her becoming a death eater, of Ron being angry at her, of her crush on –

Her brain stopped as she heard the stool beside her suddenly jerk to the side, a squeaky sound made.

Her first instinct was that it was a ghost but there were definitely none in here. Not to mention, she wasn't feeling the least bit cold, and shouldn't you feel cold if their presence is in the room?

She stared at the stool for another minute, thinking fast. What could it be? Maybe someone was making magic? Or maybe she just dreamt of the sound.

No, definitely not. She knew she had heard it.

But her questions were answered when suddenly Ron's head popped out, with no body at all. Annabelle stared open mouthed and was about to scream but all that came out was a little soft sound.

Was she dreaming?

"Anna, it's me," Ron said, and then he took something off, and his entire body came into view. Annabelle recognized Harry's invisibility cloak with relief, but could not believe that Ron was still here, in the wee hours of morning.

"I know it's you, I'm not dumb," Annabelle whispered, suddenly cautious of the people in beds around them. What if they woke up because of her and Ron?

"Listen, Anna," Ron said seriously, bending closer to Annabelle's face so he wouldn't have to speak so loud. "I've seriously been up all night for the past two nights. I couldn't grasp the fact that my friend is going to be a follower of You-Know-Who."

"Say it louder, won't you?" Annabelle hissed, looking over his shoulder at the sleeping forms of other students.

Ron ignored her, and continued. "But then I thought – Anna couldn't be a follower of You-Know-Who – "

"Shh!" Annabelle cut in.

"Because I know something Anna. I know you're different, and I know how you feel about Harry – "

"God Ron," Annabelle said now, seriously annoyed. "Did you honestly come up to the hospital wing during the middle of the night to spill all my secrets in front of people I don't even know?!"

Ron shrugged. "They're asleep," he said simply.

"You don't know that!"

Ron didn't look bothered at all, and he kept going. "And I know you wouldn't do something like that to Harry. You wouldn't follow his enemy for the world. You might be forced to, like you said, but you're not one of them. I kept repeating that in my head, and then I realized, I know because you're in Gryffindor. The sorting hat would've put you in Slytherin if you were a real death eater, just like your brother. But you're not. You're completely opposite and that's why you're in Gryffindor. And I trust you Anna. There's something about your perky 'nothing-can-touch-me' kind attitude that I know I can believe. I helped you with Quidditch, and you still thank me for that a month later."

He sighed.

"What I'm getting to is that, I've only known you for about two months. And you're already almost like a best friend to me, and that confirmed it when you told me about the secret. And I want you to know, that no matter what, I'll be there. Whenever you need me, I'll be there. Because that's what friends are for, right?"

- - - -

When Madame Pomfrey finally let Annabelle go, Annabelle felt like she could run a mile. That is, a mile from the hospital wing. Annabelle and Madame Pomfrey ran into a gruesome battle, but in the end, Annabelle came out victorious and was free.

Her arm felt so much better, and it felt like it wasn't broken at all.

Annabelle wasn't sure where she wanted to go first. She was debating whether she should eat at the Great Hall, or catch up on some homework in the common room.

When her stomach made a loud rumbling noise, she decided to take the first option.

She was walking towards the Great Hall when she saw Blaise in a corner, tormenting Neville who was trying to wiggle free from the area.

Annabelle felt a wave of sadness and guilt wash over her as she watched Neville's frightened face meet hers. No one should be treated with disrespect. No one deserved it.

So before she knew what she was doing, she walked right up to Blaise, who was now insulting Neville's grandmother.

"Blaise."

With that one word, Blaise stopped and turned around, coming face to face with Annabelle, who crossed her arms coldly.

He looked a little surprised, but tried to maintain it with his signature smirks.

"Hey, Belle," he said coolly.

"Leave Neville alone. Understand? Or do you need an English translator from your little monkey language?"

She tried to put as much venom in her voice as she could muster.

If Blaise was surprised before, then he was shocked now. He didn't believe Annabelle would say something that mean – but then again, Annabelle rarely offended anyone.

He opened his mouth to say something – but nothing came out.

Annabelle already grabbed Neville's arm and was pulling Neville away before Blaise could come up with a smart retort. By the time he did though, they were gone.

Annabelle and Neville walked a long way in silence. Annabelle felt half-bad for making him look like he couldn't handle the problem on his own – but he really wasn't doing a good job at it.

"Thanks," Neville mumbled, after a few torturous seconds. Annabelle threw him a sidelong glance, but they already reached the front doors of the Great Hall, so Annabelle led him into a seat.

She sat beside him, an idea coming on really quickly.

"Okay Neville. I'm going to solve this problem, once and for all," she announced, raising her fork in the air.

Neville stared at her as if she's gone mad.

"Listen," Annabelle said, a little more serious this time. "You're constantly being picked at, and it's not fun for you, and neither is it fun for me, watching you being bugged like that. So I decided that I'm going to change it. You _will_ stand up to them, and you _will_ show them you're better than them."

Neville looked more confused than ever. "Anna, how do you expect me to – "

"Here," Annabelle said quickly, standing up from her seat. She took a few steps away from him, who was gaping at her, and then told him she was pretending to be Goyle.

Neville laughed at that, but she continued to walk down the aisle and when she came to him she stopped, a hand on her hip.

"What are you eating, pig?" she said, in her most boyish and stupidest voice ever.

Neville's mouth opened, and closed. Opened, and closed.

Annabelle sighed, and sat beside him again. "Neville – "

"And how do you think this is going to help me? You're my friend, Anna. I'll say whatever I want to you but them? T-they're different."

She averted her gaze to the food on the table, concentrating hard. Finally, she stood up and walked a few steps away from him again, and tried once more.

She approached him who was watching her tiredly, and then again put her hand on her hip.

"What are you eating, pig?" she repeated in that awful voice.

Neville narrowed his eyes – a very good sign. "Don't you already know what it is? It looks like you ate half of the Great Hall already – "

Annabelle couldn't help but feel a little offended. Was she really fat?

"_Neville_!"

He looked at her, snapped out of his daze. "What?"

"Did you just call me fat?" she demanded.

"No, I called Goyle fat. Isn't that one thing you wanted me to do?"

When she heard this, Annabelle felt herself relax, a smile coming on her face again. "Yes! And you did it! See, it's not that hard!"

She regained her seat again, patting him on the back. "He'll be shocked if you tell him the same thing, Nev."  
But Neville shook his head, adding some potatoes on his plate. "You know I won't. I'm too scared. I'm a wimp," he said miserably, putting the potatoes in his mouth.

Annabelle watched him for a few seconds, suddenly losing her appetite.

"_Quitter_," she accused under her breath, and Neville heard it anyways. His eyes reached hers in annoyance and a bit of anger.

"What did you just call me?" he said, clearly trying to keep his cool down.

But Annabelle didn't even act bothered. Confidently, she poured herself some pumpkin juice, and didn't look his way.

"I called you a quitter," she said surely, taking a sip. "Because you are one. You're not even trying."

"I am not a quitter," Neville said through clenched teeth.

Annabelle shrugged. "Tell that to yourself then, why don't you."

"I'm not a quitter!" he said more loudly, so the people sitting near them heard and strained their necks to see what was going on.

This time, Annabelle did look at him, and Neville was blown off by the amount of intensity in her eyes.

"Prove it.

- - - -

For the rest of Saturday Neville and Annabelle were in the common room, trying to gain up confidence. Neville wasn't doing so bad, and Annabelle was actually quite proud of him. He started throwing mean but clever retorts at Annabelle, leaving her speechless most of the time. They were really good.

Neville even practiced jinxing Annabelle in the common room, turning her legs into jelly twice, and causing her to fall over and hitting the ground hard.

But Annabelle didn't complain, and as much as Neville kept bugging her to sit down, rest, she'd call him a quitter and they'd be at it again.

And as hard as it was for Neville to admit, he had fun spending the entire day with Annabelle, learning comebacks that would set Malfoy and his gang off, and mastering spells he didn't know he could.

At one point he even had Annabelle on a hook and tied upside down. When Annabelle told him to get her off, he merely shook his head and laughed, as she tried to deliberately kick and punch her way out of it.

After watching her with glee for about fifteen minutes, he knocked her down, and they started a wrestling match in the middle of the common room.

Annabelle was vicious – Neville couldn't say no to that. She'd jump on him, knocking him down ad punch him playfully until he managed to get the courage to punch her back, surprising her, but both of them were laughing anyways.

Neville couldn't believe the luck he had from finding a friend like Annabelle.

At the desks in the corner, sat Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all three of them coping on their homework. Harry and Ron wanted to play some Quidditch, but Hermione insisted to get their homework done, so they were stuck inside, on a cloudy, but still pretty day.

Harry was currently working on Potions, and Hermione was sending such looks at his text book, it looked like she was trying to kill it with her eyes.

After slowly progressing to be better than Hermione at Potions, Hermione couldn't help but feel resent towards the book. Obviously there wasn't anything she could do about it, but still. She hated the Half Blood Prince.

Ron was paying his attention towards Annabelle and Neville, watching them in amusement.

"What do you reckon they're doing?" he asked, after a while.

Hermione looked up from her studies, and Harry did too, staring at them goofing off in front of everyone.

Hermione just sighed. "Anna is trying to teach Neville how to stand up for himself," she said, a little smile coming up to her lips when she saw Annabelle lunge herself at Neville again. "She really is one of the nicest people I've ever met."

Ron shifted in his seat. "She's teaching him by goofing off?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes a little, but didn't look away from the scene. Annabelle got off from Neville, said something in his ear and he nodded. She then walked away from him, a few good steps and then turned.

"Look at this," Hermione whispered to Ron, which was quite pointless seeing as he was looking anyways.

Annabelle was hunched over and was walking over to Neville with a funny expression on her face, stopping by him and staring at him with hatred Harry, Hermione, and Ron never saw before.

"Why you whimpering baby? Want me to get your dead-old grandma for you?" she said loudly, and Harry couldn't help but flinch. Annabelle never was this mean.

But Neville squared his shoulders to face her, his expression grim.

"Offend my grandmother one more time, Blaise, and I swear I'll beat the lights out of you."

Harry realized that Annabelle was just pretending to be Blaise – she wasn't being mean at all, but he was surprised. Neville was actually fighting for himself.

Annabelle jumped back, her arms wide out of her. "Bring it moron," she challenged, ready for anything.

Neville smirked, pulling out his wand. "Moron? Really Blaise? All I see in you is a fat gorilla with no sense of mind and a brain the size of a walnut. _Jellius_!"

And then Annabelle's legs turned to jelly, causing her to wobble for a few seconds, before hitting the floor altogether, moaning painfully.

Neville was laughing, pocketing his wand.

"Really, Neville? Is this necessary? This is the third time, and I really am not in the mood for a headache," she said in that tone Harry could recognize anywhere. She wasn't Blaise anymore. Just Annabelle.

Hermione smiled once more and then turned back her attention on the boys.

"See? Neville's standing up for himself, finally. And it's all thanks to Anna."

Ron whistled. "This is pretty big. Neville never stood up for himself before, wow."

"I've never met anyone like her," Hermione whispered quietly, pulling her books closer to her.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, also turning back to his books.

But Harry continued to stare at her laughing face as Neville helped her up and pulled her in a hug. Her blue eyes were twinkling, and her cheeks were a little red, but she looked gorgeous. Harry snapped himself out of it.

"I mean," Hermione persisted, dabbing her quill in ink and beginning to write. "That it's not often you meet someone who's willing to do what she's doing. She doesn't care about popularity, or what other people think of her. She came to this school and walked right up to Neville – the one kid that has no friends – and made him feel so much more better about himself. I heard he's even starting to get Luna's attention."

Ron gaped at this, but Hermione went on. "She hasn't said one cruel word about anyone the entire time she's been here, well, except for maybe the Slytherins. But look at her! She's smiling constantly even though her world isn't perfect, she's making everyone's day, and she never tries not to let things bother her. She'll go anywhere to make people as happy as they should be, or feel better about themselves. Anna really is something," Hermione finished.

Harry glanced at Annabelle one last time, taking in her smiling, angelic face.

"Yeah, she really is," he agreed quietly.

- - - -

* HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SPELLLESWONDER29 (KALLA!), HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUU! :D


	19. Just A Little Too Late

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Right, I realize that I have explaining to do. But I have a completely valid reason to why I haven't updated in almost a month. The reason could be summed up in one word: Exams. Yep, it's that time of the year again. Exam time started today, I had to write my english one, but then I have five more to write in the following week. I feel horrible for not updating in so long, so I'm going to update another chapter at the end of the exams. I'm sorry!

But now that I mentioned story... I don't know what you guys will think of me after this chapter. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not going to say anything else.

(HARRY DOES SOMETHING... ALMOST)

Okay, I spoiled it. Not really. AHHH. Shutting up.

Thanks to the AMAZING ( I LOVE YOU ) REVIEWERS.... kt . potter93, xolunaxx, Reyrayankar, spannieren, Spelllesswonder29, Kiku-Ai, xxbabyxox, Leanora, juliest et tisbe, survivorfann, BellaCullen2312, and hollowbastiongrl. YOU ARE AWESOME! You should go eat a cookie ;) And of course to the great readers: TroyWeb, Robertmustbemashedintopieces, Shatari19, LovinLife21, xolunaxx, AChildOfTime, Kiku-Ai, katelincullen, Musical Via, Billdude21, Ladey Heartly, ShibuyaPsychicResearch, FlameingFire, luckyreader, AnImEwIlLrUlE, survivorfann, and joelenemalfoy! Highest ever! THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING THE BEST START TO 2010 AWESOME!

- - - -

On the day of the match Annabelle didn't feel nervous. Oh no, she was too busy trying to find out ways of getting out of Hogwarts as fast she could!

The night before the match, Harry held one more Quidditch practice before the game, and everyone was flying amazingly well. The entire team was confident they would beat Hufflepuff.

When Annabelle got back to her dormitory, she decided to turn in early and get some good rest before the game.

Unfortunately, she didn't even get a wink of rest, thanks to the butterflies in her stomach. Instead of sleeping like normal people were doing, she was awake, breathing heavily, occasionally telling the butterflies to find someone else's stomach to torment.

This wasn't going to be good, she was worried. She'll make a fool of herself in front of _everyone_ now. See Annabelle, did you really have to agree and join the freaking team?!

Finally, when it was seven in the morning and Annabelle decided she won't be falling asleep this evening, she got up, and dressed in her Quidditch clothes.

By the time she brushed her hair and teeth, the entire dormitory was up. Parvati and Patil were squealing excitedly, informing all the girls which guys looked best in their uniform. Annabelle rolled her eyes and went to sit at the edge of her bet, biting her lip furiously.

When Hermione came out of the washroom, her hair still a little damp from the shower, she spotted Annabelle and smiled encouragingly at her.

"You'll do awesome Anna," she said, grabbing some clothes out of her trunk. "I'll even bet on it."

Annabelle nodded her head in thanks, afraid that if she'll open her mouth, she'll throw up in front of everyone.

Lavendar looked like she was on some cloud, and Parvati noticed she asked her about it.

"Ron is so dreamy," she told them. Annabelle glanced at Hermione and noticed Hermione turning a little red as she was bent over pulling on socks. Annabelle felt sorry for her. "Imagine what he'll look like in his Quidditch uniform. Oh my god," she giggled with Parvati, and Annabelle swore she was going to get a head ache.

Hermione suddenly appeared by Annabelle's bed post. "Ready to go?"

Hermione tried to keep her voice natural, cool. But Annabelle could tell a forced smile apart from a real smile anywhere.

Annabelle nodded again, not trusting her voice, and both of them walked down into the Common Room, and were about to step out of the portrait when they saw a very green Ron whimpering on the couch with Harry's hand on his back.

Seeing Harry, it was as if the butterflies in her stomach doubled, if that's even possible.

"It's okay Ron. Hufflepuffs aren't that great, and you're an amazing flyer. Not to mention Keeper, you'll do well," Harry said reassuringly.

If Annabelle didn't know better, her face matched the color of Ron's face. Ron nodded his head, and Hermione sighed, sitting on the seat beside Ron.

She put a hand on his shoulder and Ron's breathing suddenly stopped from 'fast & furious' and his ears went a little pink.

"Don't worry about it Ron. Just play you're game," she said softly.

"You are going to be watching, aren't you?"

Hermione smiled lightly. "Of course I will. I'll be the loudest one there!"

Ron looked a little less green by the end of that, and he smiled. "Ready for breakfast?"

Only thinking about food made Annabelle want to throw up.

But she followed them all out of the portrait hole anyways, Ron and Hermione in the lead. Hermione was doing a fantastic job of cheering Ron up. Harry was a little bit behind them, enough so he could laugh along with them, while Annabelle made sure to stay a little more back.

When they reached the Great Hall, they sat down at the Gryffindor table, and loud 'Woots!' and 'Go Gryffindor!' voices were yelling.

Harry smiled at them all, then helped himself to a piece of toast. All Annabelle did was stare at the plate in front of her.

A few seconds into doing that though, someone patted her back pretty hard, and she looked up to see a grinning Neville.

"Good Luck Anna," he said warmly, not removing his hand from her back. "You'll do amazing, I swear."

His eyes traveled to Harry and Ron. "And you too mates. We're going to bring back the Quidditch Cup this year!" he announced, throwing his fist in the air.

Harry laughed, and Ron smiled a little, despite himself. Then Luna came along behind Neville.

Now, Annabelle's never met Luna Lovegood before; she just heard about her and her somewhat bizarre stories. But seeing her right now, Annabelle could not tear her eyes away from Luna.

On her head was a lion's head, double the size of her own, and she was smiling widely when she came up to him.

"Hi Harry, Ron, Hermione, Annabelle," Luna said, and it startled Annabelle a little to know that Luna knew her name. "Look what this could do!"

Gleefully, she pressed the lion's nose, and a "ROAR" louder than the entire Great Hall put together, erupted. Hermione even covered her ears.

After the lion was finished, the entire Great Hall was staring at them in the most awkward silence ever.

Annabelle didn't know what Luna expected they'd thought of it, but judging by the looks of their faces, she grinned wider.

"I knew you'd love it! Go Gryffindor!" she cheered, trotting happily back to her seat. Neville smiled after her, and sat down beside Annabelle.

"Looks like you're not going to be the loudest in the stands Hermione," Ron muttered. Hermione nodded her head speechlessly.

After staring at her empty plate for a few more minutes, Annabelle announced she was going to go get ready for the game, and left everyone in the Great Hall, heading straight to the change rooms.

She felt her hands get clammy as she reached into the locker and pulled out her robes with her number on it – she didn't give her last name – and stared nervously ahead.

What if she will mess up though? What if because of her, the entire team will lose? What will she do?

"Hey."

Harry startled Annabelle, and she jumped back in surprise. When she met his eyes though, there was almost a calming sense, but the butterflies wouldn't go away.

Harry smiled at her, as encouragingly as he could because he knew how Annabelle felt. The same way he did when he played his first game of six years ago.

"Hi Harry," Annabelle said quietly, sitting down on the bench.

She looked so green and nervous, Harry felt guilty for bringing her on the team. No one should be forced to do anything if they don't want to.

"Annabelle," Harry said. Everyone always calls her Anna, but Harry couldn't stop saying her full name. It sounded so peaceful, nice. He went over and sat beside her, putting one of his arms around her shoulder. He was a little hesitant about it, but she didn't flinch, so he relaxed and so did she.

"You're amazing at practice. So you'll be amazing in this game. Just block out everyone around you and play. Listen to yourself, have fun. Quidditch isn't a sport you're supposed to die from a nervous breakdown, you know."

Annabelle laughed a little, but her voice sounded choked.

"How about we make a deal?" Harry said, an idea popping up in his head.

Annabelle raised her eyebrow. "You already lost one deal, do you want to lose another?"

Harry smiled. "If you lose and humiliate yourself in front of everybody, I'm going to buy you ten butterbeers. But if you don't, then you're going to have to buy me ten as well."

Harry was only doing this deal for his sake as well; with this deal going on he'll be able to spend an entire Hogsmeade Trip with Annabelle. He hoped it didn't sound like a date though, he didn't want to scare her off.

Annabelle laughed, her voice sing song. Finally.

"Deal," she said.

Harry stood up and walked over to his own locker, taking out his robes. Inside his head, a voice kept pounding no matter how many times he told it to shut up.

_Now or Never. Ask her to the Ball. Do it, you can._

He shook his head.

_Now or Never…_

"Annabelle?" Harry blurted, and Annabelle looked up. Those eyes were twinkling and filled with warmth, even though they're the iciest eyes he's ever seen.

"I was just wondering if maybe – "

His voice was cut short when Draco and his gang walked into the room. Harry groaned and turned around, and Annabelle stood up right beside him.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" he asked annoyingly.

Draco just smiled coldly at him. "New player on the team? Does she suck like the rest of yours do, Pothead?"

Harry felt Annabelle stiffen, so he pulled his wand out of his robes and Draco did the same. He glared at Malfoy and hoped he was sending invisible daggers to penetrate him.

"What about your own personal experience, Draco? Was it in second year you had the best broom in the world but _still_ managed to fall off of it?"

Unlike any of their voices, Annabelle's wasn't cruel. She was stating it as a fact, and Harry was glad that, unlike Neville, she knew how to stand up for herself. Not to mention she didn't use his last name, like everyone did. She had good heart, Harry realized.

Malfoy's eyes softened a little when he saw her – something Harry didn't expect at all.

"Belle – " he began.

_Belle?! _Harry thought in disbelief. But then he remembered asking her if Malfoy was a friend of hers in the library, so he guessed that's their nickname. But having a friend as horrible as Malfoy made no sense to Harry at all.

"Thanks for the luck," Annabelle said crisply, turning on her heel and walking out of sight leaving them to stare after her.

Draco sighed and left, not before throwing the darkest glare possible at Harry, who gladly returned it.

Harry walked back into the change room, but this time Annabelle wasn't there alone. Half the team was getting ready for their first big game.

They all looked up with grins when he came in, except for Annabelle, who was busy tying up her hair in a pony tail.

"Okay guys, get changed and I'll meet you down at the front of the change rooms for a quick meeting," he told them, walking out of the room.

He set up seven chairs in front of a chalk board and began to draw different game plans, concentrating hard. Harry really wanted to win this game. He wanted to prove to everyone he was as good as a player as his dad was. Harry thought winning the Quidditch Cup would make his dad proud of him.

When the entire team settled themselves into the chairs, some more green than others, Harry began to speak.

Throughout the entire conversation, he kept glancing at Ron and Annabelle, both which were complete nervous wrecks.

Occasionally, he'd smile at them, but after a while, Annabelle wasn't so quick to return it, and Ron stopped completely.

Harry was sure everyone could hear the people already in the stands, awaiting for the game which was probably starting in five minutes. He himself, started to feel a little nervous. He knew he wasn't that worried about the game, more so about Ron and Annabelle, and he hoped that everything would go ok.

"Okay, team. You guys were awesome at practice, so all we've got to do – "

Harry was cut mid-sentence, for the second time this morning, as Seamus came running in, completely breathless and red. He shouldn't even be down here, especially before a match, but Seamus' eyes were focused on Annabelle's confused ones the whole time.

"Seamus?" Harry asked, and the entire team turned to face Seamus, who bent over, panting now. "Is something wrong?"

"I – have to, talk – Anna," he sputtered through gasps. Gheez, it's like the guy ran a marathon or something. "In private," he added.

Annabelle was about to stand up, but Harry wasn't going to let her go anywhere.

"The game starts in five minutes, Seamus. I'd rather you talk to her here," he said sternly.

Seamus looked like he was going to protest, but went against it when he saw the firm look in Harry's eye, so he walked straight to Annabelle, who was standing for real now.

"Seamus? Did something happ – "

But she couldn't finish that sentence. Because suddenly time stopped for Harry.

Full on the mouth, Seamus leaned in and kissed her – in front of _everybody_. The girls on the team 'Awed,' and Peakes had the mind to whistle a little.

At first Annabelle seemed surprised, but Seamus' lips were so soft and nice, she kissed back, despite herself. Suddenly nothing in the world mattered.

Since when did he like her this way? She's never kissed anyone before, so she had to admit it felt a little weird – but nice all the same. But then again, it wasn't Seamus she imagined her first kiss with all the time.

Harry felt the nervousness disappear – instead, something else came on. Anger, jealousy maybe?

He watched them kiss, his nightmare playing in reality in front of him. Why Seamus? Harry's heart felt really weird at the moment, but continued to watch both of them sadly.

When they broke apart, Seamus was smiling, and Annabelle was still in shock.

"Good luck," he whispered, pushing aside a strand of her hair from her face. He walked out, gave a little wave to everyone which Harry did _not_ return, and Annabelle sat down in obvious surprise.

Ginny and Katie were all over her already though, giggling feverishly and smiling wider than before. But Annabelle didn't giggle. She didn't even laugh. Instead she kept her face straight, and then looked up at Harry who was watching her for the longest time.

Her eyes said something, something Harry couldn't read. They weren't as happy as first kisses should be, that's for sure. Harry held her gaze for a second longer, before turning his back on her and towards the board.

- - - -

Like I said, Harry ALMOST did something. He ALMOST asked her out to the dance. Dang, Malfoy. But because of the events, Seamus DID ask her out. (Where did he come from?!)

.... please don't hate me.

P.S THIS IS A HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY! THIS IS ONLY AN OBSTACLE. IT'S ONLY STARTING TO GET GOOD AMIGOS! (hearts!)

.... don't hate it. Hate Seamus. :D


	20. The Brother

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except for Annabelle! :)

So I know Lee Jordan would have been out of hogwarts by now, but I decided to put him in, just for the fun of it. So yeah, that's just a side note. Nothing _too_ interesting happens... but man, the next chapter... I'm not going to say anything. Don't wanna spoil it. ;)

Anyways, thanks everyone for the good luck wishes on the exams! I got them back and I got 4 A's, and 2 B's, so yeah thanks for the support! :) I made this chapter longer than usual for you guys!

And of course, to the AMAZING reviewers: EponineandMarius, Ecmm, xolunaxx, JainaZekk621, hollowbastiongrl, kt . potter93, cindy vega, spannieren, Spelllesswonder29, ell the weasel, Reyrayankar, Leonora, and Kiku-Ai! That brings the grand total to 13 reviews for one chapter! Thats A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Ghee, you guys really know how to make a girl happy! :)

- - - -

"And Katie Bells is in position of the quaffle, heading down to the Hufflepuffs side. Man, does she look good when she flies – "

"_Jordan!_" Professor McGonogall scolded, loud enough for the entire Quidditch Pitch.

Hearing this, Annabelle had to stifle a laugh as she zoomed to the other side of the pitch. If they lose, Annabelle is going to blame the commentator because of his distractions.

She glanced to the left and saw Katie ready to pass the quaffle to her, so she caught it and flew farther, dodging various amounts of bludgers coming her way. She then saw Ginny Weasley open at the very edge of the pitch, so with all her might, Annabelle threw the quaffle in that direction, and in mere seconds, Ginny managed to score in the middle hoop.

"TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR, WELL PLAYED LADIES," Jordan yelled, and there was a very loud cheer erupting from the Gryffindors side. And Luna's obvious Lion was the loudest – you can hear it anywhere and when she pressed the nose, everyone cheered more.

Annabelle smiled to herself and flew to the other side of the pitch to check the score.

"60 – 10 for Gryffindor."

The bustle in this game, the hard work, the cheers, it was so much…_fun._ Annabelle didn't feel those butterflies in her stomach anymore. In fact, she felt amazing!

"Annabelle!" someone yelled, and Annabelle instantly recognized the voice as Harry's. She turned to him quickly, just in time to see a bludger that was set for her head crash in the stands behind her.

Surprised, and a little horrified, she mouthed a quick thanks to Harry, who nodded, and went farther down into the pitch.

The game was exhilarating, flying in the air, the cheers, the laughter. Annabelle realized she wasn't doing that bad at all – and neither was Ron. Out of ten shots, he only let in one. Now that's what Annabelle called impressive.

The game went on for about another fifteen minutes, (120 – 30 for Gryffindor) when finally, Lee Jordan shouted in the mike…

"HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH. GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

And sure enough, there was Harry, brandishing the snitch in his right hand and flying down excitedly.

The loudest cheering ever came from Gryffindors side, and Annabelle was laughing. Harry landed on the ground and so did she, the entire team sprinting to Harry who raised the snitch in his palm proudly.

Annabelle was in the lead though, running with such a look of fury and happiness on her face, Harry grinned, laid out his arms and she jumped. Hugging him and laughing her entire heart out.

Harry held on, and the team came, Ron giving him a half a hug, everyone patting his back, Ginny and Katie kissing him on both sides of his cheek.

To Annabelle, this was victory. But nothing beat it better than celebrating it with friends.

Harry's arm was still around her, and he turned in shock to see Hermione so fast by him. She threw herself into him and he laughed, then she hugged Ron who turned a deep scarlet.

Someone announced a party in the common room, but all Harry was concentrating was his arm on Annabelle. Neville and Luna was there, the lion bellowing so loud Harry didn't try to even cover his ears.

Annabelle was smiling broadly and leaned in to Harry who did the same.

"I think I owe you ten butterbeers," Annabelle shouted, and Harry, amidst the explosions, the cheers, the yells, grinned and said, "I think so too."

- - - -

After the glory and victory of yesterday, Annabelle felt a little unsettled, but more than happy all the same. She felt better than she had the entire time she was at Hogwarts – and that's saying something.

At the party in the common room later, Seamus kissed her again but this time Annabelle wasn't filled with surprise.

She was still a little confused with what happened, but guessed that Seamus and her were almost like a couple, because he was constantly with her when he wasn't eating, making up for his detentions, and sleeping.

Truth be told, Annabelle was slowly started to get a little ticked, but she didn't dare say anything to Seamus about it.

There was another Hogsmeade Trip this weekend, and then next weekend was the time to be sent home for Thanksgiving. Annabelle noticed not many people were leaving, and was a little disappointed. Not to mention she was downright nervous for Thanksgiving, and did _not_ want to go at all.

It was Monday morning and, as usual, Annabelle woke up first, timing at 6:30 this morning. She was quite an early riser, and hated it because for another hour she'd be bored and not know what to do.

Quietly, she slipped out of her bed and went into the washroom, washing her hair and face, then changing into her robes.

When she was done, she was happy to see it was 7:00, and she walked back into the dormitory, and all the girls were up.

Some of them greeted her, while others were much grumpier, and Annabelle went to sit at the edge of Hermione's bed, while Hermione was getting ready for the day.

"So," Hermione said. "Want to tell me what's going on with you and Seamus?"

Annabelle was a little surprised with the question admittedly, but then again, she barely had time to talk with Hermione alone, without Seamus being there.

Annabelle realized she wasn't blushing. Shouldn't she, though?

"Um," she stammered, suddenly very interested in the shape of her hands. "I don't know. I guess, we uhm, are … something…"

Hermione laughed a little, but was a little sorry to hear this. She liked Seamus and all, but she knew how Harry felt.

"So how did it happen?" she went on, grabbing her books from the table.

Annabelle didn't look up, and started tracing patterns on the sheets. "Well before the Quidditch match, he sort of… wished me good luck. Er, with a kiss. In front of everybody."

Hermione smiled. "That's sweet of him."

Annabelle nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess."

Hermione checked her reflection in the mirror one last time before asking, "Coming to Breakfast?" to Annabelle, and Hermione led her out of common room, already talking about a new subject.

"So, you know the Cedric's Ball?" she asked excitedly, walking down the corridor so fast Annabelle was practically jogging to keep up.

"Cedric's Ball?" Annabelle questioned. She's never heard of something before, but then thought Hermione was talking about the Yule Ball one.

"Yes, Dumbledore re-named it to that, because it's in memory of him and everything. Anyways," Hermione went on, her pace increasing so fast Annabelle _was_ actually jogging so she could hear. "The three champions are coming back. Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and of course Harry."

Her grin was so wide Annabelle was worried she'll break a muscle or something if she kept it up.

Neville's told Annabelle all about the Triwizard Tournament, and she knew enough to know that Cedric was murdered because the cup was actually a portkey, and that there were four champions in the game – including Harry.

"So I went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum two years ago, which was so much fun, really. And I still keep contact with him until this day – "

Suddenly, Annabelle knew why the name Viktor Krum was a familiar name to her.

"Hang on, isn't that guy one of the best seekers in the world?" she asked curiously, remembering this little expert from "Top Players in Quidditch and Their Records."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically, smiling even wider, if that's possible.

"Well, he sent me a letter just yesterday," she bit her lip, still somehow beaming. "And guess what?"

Annabelle shrugged in response, because she was out of breath, thanks to all the jogging she was doing.

"I'm going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum!" she announced happily, suddenly coming to a halt.

Annabelle didn't know how Hermione managed to stop so fast, because the minute Hermione did, she kept walking and without seeing where she's going, she crashed into Harry.

He staggered back a little, but he grabbed her arms to steady her, grinning lazily.

"Hello miss, might want to watch where you're going. Don't want to injure the mighty seeker that won us our game yesterday," he said, half-laughing, half at an attempt of being serious.

Annabelle smiled a little. "I'm so sorry sir, but you might want to check your glasses. It's not entirely pleasant to be crashed into someone first thing in the morning."

Harry opened his mouth in amusement, then grinned, pushing her back a little.

"You're the one that crashed into me!" he protested.

"Now, now. Lying isn't the best way to get out of this problem," she answered, already laughing.

Hermione watched them, her mood rising higher. Harry was a completely different person when he was around Annabelle. Unlike all of the times before he looked happy, this time was different. You could make out the pure joy and love in his face. But Annabelle wasn't for him. Not with her being a death eater. Hermione's mood deflated a little, and she shook her head sadly.

After their little argument was over, all smiles, Harry turned to Hermione.

"Did I hear right? You're going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum…_again_?"

Hermione crossed her arms. "Don't sound so surprised," she answered stiffly.

Harry grinned. "I'm not. Ron will be though," he said matter-of-factly.

"Well Ron can ask his little Lavendar, he'll have a great time."

Annabelle was a little shocked at the cold tone Hermione used, but Harry shrugged it off, steering the subject into a different direction.

"Did Annabelle tell you she's going to buy me ten butter beers?" he said, nudging Annabelle a little in the ribs.

Hermione's brow furrowed. "You're going to drink ten butter beers?"

Harry nodded his head. "That was part of the deal, yeah."

Hermione chuckled. "Sure you will. You're going to explode, Harry."

"Well," he said as they entered the Great Hall, the smell hitting Annabelle's nostrils gratefully. She was so hungry, it was unbelievable.

They took their seats, Annabelle beside Harry, and he continued to talk about how it was remotely possible to drink ten butter beers, without blowing up.

Hermione was arguing back – despite how ridiculous the conversation was, and by her tone it was evident she was winning.

Annabelle helped herself to some waffles, and then Harry succumbed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever Hermione."

Hermione smiled proudly, and then opened one of the books she brought down with her, reviewing for a test in Ancient Runes.

Harry started to pile on his breakfast when he was in for an unpleasant surprise. For him, anyways.

Seamus strolled down the Great Hall confidently, his eyes lighting up when he saw Annabelle, who smiled a little and then turning back to her food.

When he came close enough, he took the vacated seat next to Annabelle.

"Morning," he said brightly, grabbing the orange juice.

"Hi," Annabelle said softly, taking another bite of her waffles. "How are you?"

"Better than ever, actually," he grinned, stuffing his mouth with toast. "So I heard that there's another Hogsmeade Trip this week. Want to go with me, Anna?"

He sounded so bold, so sure of himself. He asked this like it was the simplest question in the world, thought Harry. But then again, they did get closer since yesterday.

Annabelle choked on her water a little, and then attempted to smile. She felt Harry's eyes watching her very closely the entire time.

"Actually Seamus, uhm. I'm going with Harry, because – "

Seamus raised an eyebrow and glanced at Harry, who held the gaze steadily until Seamus looked away.

"We made this deal, and I kind of lost, so uhm, yeah," she finished, a little hesitantly. Even with the explanation, Seamus was really suspicious, but then almost instantly, he regained his smiling face.

"That's great! Then you wouldn't mind if I join you, do you?" he asked, but Harry knew that Seamus was only doing this to be cautious. His insides fell. Of course, it will be impossible to land a date with Annabelle.

"Oh uhm," Annabelle felt really uncomfortable by the thought, and she looked at Harry in need of help.

Oh well, nothing he can do about it now.

"Yeah, sure. I guess," he said.

"Brilliant," Seamus smiled, and then he got into a conversation with Dean. Annabelle threw Harry a sorrowful look, but he grinned, trying to act like nothing out of it. Although it really _was_ something, and man did he wish Seamus didn't butt in like that.

- - - -

Later in the day, during free time, Annabelle sat on the Gryffindor couch beside Seamus, who had his arm around her shoulder. She watched the dancing flames and let thoughts pass through her head unseeingly.

"Seamus?" she finally asked, to break the silence that rang the air. There were about four other people in the common room aside from them, but all seemed pretty busy with what they were doing.

"Hmm?"

He looked completely at peace, and happy, so Annabelle figured this would be the right time to ask the question that's been bugging her since yesterday.

"Are we, uhm – " She tried to rack her brains for a nicely worded sentence. "Are we a couple?" she blurted, no hint of confidence or control in her voice at all. Then again, her tone didn't exactly sound right – it sounded forced, so she tried to cover it up with a little giggle which sounded so un-Annabelle ish. She didn't want Seamus to think she wasn't happy –because she was. She's never felt this way before and it was amazing.

Seamus turned his head and his brown eyes bored into Annabelle's icy ones.

"Only if you want to," he said gently, grabbing her hand with his free one.

Annabelle smiled a little, squeezing his hand playfully. "Yeah, of course! It's just… I've never dated anyone before, I'm a little new to this," she admitted shyly.

Seamus chuckled.

"Don't worry, you catch on pretty quickly," he told her sincerely, kissing her on her forehead.

Annabelle didn't look so worried anymore so she grinned a little, and Seamus relaxed once again.

He felt so lucky to have Annabelle as a girlfriend; he remembered seeing her the first day and instantly developing a crush on her. She was smart, she was kind, and she was beautiful. What more can Seamus ask for?

He watched as she played with his fingers, very happily.

"Seamus?" Annabelle asked again, this time a little more uncertainly.

"Yes?"

She took in a deep breath. "Do you really like me?"

Seamus laughed a little, hugging her shoulders. Once again he gazed at her, feeling the moment began to brush on them.

"Really, really," he whispered, then his lips were on hers, and he continued to move his lips even when Annabelle didn't respond right away. The feeling jolted him and he just wanted more.

As for Annabelle, the kiss was soft, tender. It felt amazingly right, but a little wrong.

She mentally slapped herself as the kiss deepened.

_Think nothing_, she told herself. _Think nothing, Seamus is all that matters right now._

And that's the truth. All that matters right now is Seamus.

- - - -

The amount of homework Annabelle has been getting was horrid. In fact, it was so bad, she could call the library as her second home.

But she loved the smell of the library, and she didn't mind calling it that. In fact, she liked it even better because just a few days ago, she found a hidden spot between two old-looking shelves, right by the restricted section.

No one would be able to find her at first glance, and she liked it that way, because studying alone calmed her. Also, she usually just tries to get away from people, well, you could say person because the main reason Annabelle was hiding there was because of Seamus.

_Seamus._

He wasn't that bad of a guy actually. Annabelle liked him since the first day she met him. And he's never done anything wrong or mean to her. He was a very, very good boyfriend.

The only downside is though that he's never left her sight since the Quidditch Match. Which in some ways is a good thing – he cares about her so much that he's with her all the time, but in some ways, it's a bad thing.

That's where Annabelle found herself Friday evening, escaping Seamus, in her own little world of books and letters.

Snape gave her so much homework she can barely see straight, Flitwick gave her yet _another_ package, McGonogall made sure to hand her the worksheets extra thick, and Slughorn was kind enough to give them a small test on Potions.

All due Monday.

Annabelle was already preparing for her death.

She was busily flipping through her charms textbook when a big shadow came across her. She looked up to come face to face with Draco and his gang.

He was smiling, except he wasn't _really_ smiling. It was forced and it looked a little cold. Crabbe and Goyle were on either side of him, and there was Pansy with Blaise. Annabelle had to admit she was a little shocked to see Pansy there; after their break-up she expected Pansy to steer away from Draco. But no, she was there, standing by Blaise, trying harder than ever to impress Draco.

"Hello, Belle," Draco said, sliding into a seat across from her. Soon, his friends did the same thing and she found herself sitting by Blaise (gross) and Pansy (oh no).

"Um," Annabelle said unsurely, examining his face for answers. "Did something happen?"

Draco stiffened a little, then lost her gaze and played with his hands.

Draco never played with his hands, though. Something was definitely up. She pushed her book aside, and shifted in her seat.

"Draco?"

"It's not going to be at Thanksgiving," he said, his voice a little hollow, but he was hiding it pretty well. "At Thanksgiving we're having a gathering. They're saving it until Christmas."

It's not like Draco explained everything – in fact, he barely told her anything. But what he said was enough for Annabelle to hear and understand. They're waiting until Christmas to fully make her and Draco into Death Eaters.

She shuddered a little, and suddenly her vision was filled with clouds. She hated talking about this, so instead she tried focusing on something else he said.

"Gathering?" she repeated in question. She wasn't sure if that was good news or if it was bad news.

Draco simply nodded his head, and Blaise cleared his throat. Annabelle then turned to look at Blaise, seeking answers.

"The gathering is basically a big event. Uhm, it's a dinner basically, but like the most important dinner of the year. Your parents are hosting it in your house, and death eaters all around the world are to come. And of course, the soon-to-be death eaters," he added thoughtfully.

"So you're all going to be there?" Annabelle asked, a little mildly.

The entire table nodded slowly.

Annabelle gulped, fearing the question that was stuck in her throat.

"Is, is – " She cleared her throat, not wanting them to think she was afraid at all. But somehow she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Is the Dark Lord going to be there?" Draco supplied for her.

"We're not sure yet. But he's been invited, yes," Pansy said, and Annabelle couldn't help but notice the defeated tone in her voice.

Draco glanced at her, but Pansy deliberately didn't look; she made it a point just to stare straight ahead or at Annabelle.

"Anyways," Draco said, steering the subject away. His eyes met Annabelle's, and he smirked a little. "Is it true you're going out with Seamus Finnigan, Belle?"

They all eyed her, some more interested than others. Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to care, so it was the rest of them that did.

Annabelle felt her face growing quite hot. "Yes," she answered stiffly.

"Aren't there any better looking guys you can chase after, Belle?" he grinned, although Annabelle could even tell it was mean.

"Shut up, he's really nice."

"I'm sure he is," Draco wiggled his eyebrows annoyingly.

"Draco," Annabelle said through her now clenched teeth. In some crazy and stupid way though, she was a little happy. He was finally acting like the Draco she loved, not like the bully he was before. "I'm sort of busy studying here. So if there's nothing else you want to say to me, leave."

"Oh there are several things I want to say – "

"Draco!"

He grinned, and finally, it was the grin that Annabelle grew up with. The grin she was familiar with after sixteen years.

"All right, all right," he said, standing up and raising his palms towards her in a mock defensive matter. "See you later."

And with that, Annabelle was suddenly alone in the vacated table, shaking her head and returning her concentration back to the books.

She knew that time was passing by her quickly, and she knew that her process with the work was very snail-like. In other words, completely slow.

Her eyes began to feel droopy – really droopy, and before she knew it darkness evolved her and she fell asleep.

- - - -


	21. Kiss Me, Miss Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :(

Part 21, errbody! I'm going to Mexico tonight (SO FREAKING EXCITED) so I won't update till sometime in March. :) It means a lot to know you guys are reading, so thank you!

Reviewers, I love you. Thank you so much! Every single word/sentence counts! :D So thanks to: JainaZekk621, xxbabyxox, xolunaxx, Leanora, Ecmm, kt . potter93, Gilly Gillespie, spannieren, Reyrayankar, Kiku-Ai, Spelllesswonder29, and sweetypie200494! You guys make me SO happy!

Btw, I hate Seamus in my story too. ;)

Enjoy!

- - - -

"Psst, Annabelle!"

"Hmm…."

"Annabelle!"

Annabelle felt a sharp poke at the side of her ribs – that definitely opened her eyelids.

"Ow!" She looked up, all drowsy and weary-eyed, and couldn't believe she was face to face with Harry.

Then her mind suddenly blew up with tons of different questions.

_Where am I?_

_Why is Harry here?_

_Why are my books all over a table?_

_Why am I sleeping at the table?_

Harry grinned his trademark and absolutely adorable grin. He was holding up his invisibility cloak and some piece of parchment in his right hand.

"You fell asleep in the library," Harry said, answering three of her questions. Didn't explain why he was here though.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

Harry glanced at his watch. "One in the morning."

She yawned and slumped back in her chair. Her eyes were half-asleep as she scanned the books on the table. She fell asleep working on the package from Flitwick.

Harry made himself comfortable, sitting in the seat beside her, as she began to stack everything up.

"Isn't the library closed?" she asked, struggling to stay awake.

"Yep."

"Then what are you doing here?" she tried to raise an eyebrow, but it didn't exactly work out.

"Snuck in," he smiled.

She sighed and looked at all the homework unwillingly.

"Is Madame Pince in here?"

"Nope."

"Well then what are you doing here for? And how did you find me?"

"Your boyfriend was worried about you," Harry said in a neutral tone. "So is Hermione. And I found you with a special little map," he raised the piece of parchment higher.

She stared at it for a moment before asking what it was.

"It's a map that shows everyone on the castle and where they are," he said, his mood lifting high. "It's pretty cool, I'll show you how to use it another time. But we should go."

Annabelle looked at her books anxiously, and bit her lip. Harry watched her for a few moments before opening his mouth in horror.

"You're not actually considering staying here and finishing all that homework?" he said incredulously.

She sighed. "It's not like I have any other time to do it. Tomorrow – well, today, technically – we're going to Hogsmeade all day, and on Sunday Seamus probably won't let me off his sight like he's been doing for the past few days – "

"You don't like that?" he inquired.

"No!" Annabelle said quickly, afraid she got the wrong message to Harry. "No, I mean, I like Seamus a lot and everything, it's just… tiring," she admitted, "I can't do anything when I'm with him except be his girlfriend, and he won't hear of doing homework. He'd rather sit with his arm around me in the common room all day, or taking long walks outside. Which I enjoy," she added hastily.

Harry stared at her.

"Listen, this really isn't a problem. I'll finish all of it tonight, then I'll be free for the weekend," she told him.

But Harry didn't get it at all. "So you're basically sacrificing your sleeping times just to make your own boyfriend happy," he said slowly. "Not to be rude or anything, but since he is your boyfriend, shouldn't he care enough about you to know you have to get this done?"

Annabelle groaned, throwing her face in her hands. "You're making it sound totally different."

"But that's just what it is!"

"No it's not Harry. It's not the same," she said stubbornly, opening her Transfiguration textbook. But the minute she had it opened, Harry reached out to slam it down again. At first, Annabelle thought it was an accident, but when she met his determined eyes that looked so calmly down at hers, she knew he did it on purpose.

Once again, she opened the book to the page where she was at, only to receive a slam down again.

Frustrated, and glaring at Harry, she pulled it open and put her arms around it in a defensive manner. Harry shrugged, stood up, and bent down to close it again, but Annabelle didn't let him have it. Instead, she grabbed the book out of his reach and sat in a different chair.

He merely walked over, and ripped the book out of her grasp, closing it with a satisfied smile.

"Harry," Annabelle said trying to keep the anger out of her voice. "Give me the book, _now_."

Harry glanced at her, before opening the book to keep to a certain page. "Ah, learning how to turn bacon into live pigs this year?" he said annoyingly, pretending to be very interested. "To make a farm or something, perhaps?"

Annabelle was about to scream; but stopped herself. Instead, she took steady footsteps and approached him carefully. "What is it with you and stealing my things? Aren't there any other people you wish to torment?"

Harry seemed to actually consider this. He raised his hand to his chin, and thought. Annabelle finally exasperated, happy he was actually listening to her.

Then he smiled, and shook his head. "Nope."

Annabelle jumped on him, knocking him down on the ground, and tried wrestling the stupid book out of his hands.

"Give me the book!" she shouted, as they struggled to make out anything in the fight. Annabelle was hitting him in the side while she had one hand tightened around the book, pulling like a mad woman.

Harry, at first was defending himself, and then he decided this wasn't helping his side of thing so he simply rolled over so she was beneath him.

At first, he put no pressure on her, as she strived to push him over, but then when she was kicking him in the legs he had no choice. He casually laid down on her, but he just put the weight of his lower body on hers so she couldn't kick.

She glared at him dangerously, even though the butterflies in her stomach were flying so violently she was sure her stomach would explode.

He was so close. So, so, close.

"Get off me Harry," she told him, trying to bring herself up but failing miserably. Harry was just too heavy.

"What are the magic words?" he grinned.

Her eyes narrowed, but noticing she really had no other choice, she muttered furiously, "Please."

And then she looked into his gorgeous, beautiful, sparkling, intense, amazing – She can go on forever. But when her eyes met his, she couldn't pull herself away from the trance.

Harry too, seemed like he was into it because suddenly they were leaning in slowly, and even though all the brain cells in Annabelle's head was saying, "_No!_" she couldn't help but feel excited, nervous, and wonderful. This was a moment she'd knew she'd never forget…

Then there was the noise.

Harry immediately snapped out of it and got up, leaving Annabelle on the floor in a daze. He looked uneasily at the door of the library.

"It's probably Peeves or something. But I'm going to check, just in case," he said, grabbing his cloak, and then he left, as if he couldn't stay in Annabelle's presence any longer. Annabelle was stunned, and stood up nervously.

_She almost kissed Harry Potter. She almost kissed Harry Potter. She almost kissed Harry Potter._

"Shut up," she whispered to the voice in her head, as she regained her old seat, and pulled out her book. She opened it to the page she left off on, and began to work awaiting Harry to come back – if he _was_ going to come back, she didn't want to scare him off – but felt her eyelids get heavy pretty quickly.

_No Annabelle. Stay Awake. You just almost kissed Harry Potter, remember?_

She didn't even have the energy to tell the voice to shut up.

With all her strength she forced herself to read countless words, reading, reading, and she didn't even realize it when she fell asleep in the same spot twice that night, the book used as a pillow for her.

-;-

As Harry came back, cursing Peeves because it was him who knocked down the huge amount of brass knights on the ground – making it impossible to walk through – he couldn't stop thinking the one name.

_Annabelle. _

Yes, he felt something there. He was going to kiss her, he knew he was. But the sound Peeves made stopped the amazing but yet a little stupid moment. How could Harry even think that way? Seamus is Annabelle's. She's not Harry's.

He hoped with all his heart that Annabelle wouldn't tell Seamus about the incident, and then wondered if she felt it too.

When he finally reached the table where she was sitting at, he smiled.

Annabelle regained her spot and fell asleep, once again. Man does that girls sleeping muscles work fast. He was probably gone for about ten minutes and she managed to fall asleep in that amount of time. Usually it takes him about half an hour to fall asleep every night.

But he wasn't smiling at that. He was smiling at how at ease and peaceful she looked when she was sleeping. Her hair was a little bit of a mess, but that made her look even more beautiful. It looked like everything could repel her – she didn't have one care in the world.

How she managed to make everyone happy around her was a mystery to Harry. He couldn't imagine her hurting anyone, not even a fly. Heck, she even goes overboard when it comes to Seamus.

_Seamus._

Now that name, instead of bringing Harry butterflies in his stomach – wait, since when did Harry Potter get butterflies? – it brought jealousy. And a little bit of anger.

Harry waved it off, and hesitantly he sat down in the chair beside Annabelle.

He looked at his invisibility cloak before unfolding it and placing it on Annabelle's shoulder gently so she wouldn't be cold.

Then, as stupid as it might sound, he fell asleep right beside her.

- - - -

Annabelle woke up with a start that morning. She had the weirdest dream ever, even though it was one of her best ones.

The way Harry looked at her in that dream… she sighed happily.

And then she opened her eyes.

Firstly, half her body was missing. Secondly, she was in the library. Thirdly, Harry was asleep right beside her. Fourthly, her dream wasn't a dream after all.

She gasped as she stared at all the homework she didn't finish, and almost screamed when she saw the time displayed on Harry's watch.

"Harry!" she shoved him so hard, he nearly fell off his chair, looking around mildly.

"Annabelle? What happened? Is someone hurt?" he said panicky, standing up and whipping his wand out.

When the atmosphere and reality started to sink in, he took in a deep breath and dropped into a chair, rubbing his eyes lamely.

Annabelle was already standing up, realizing that the invisibility cloak was what made her body disappear.

She folded it quickly, and threw it at Harry, picking up her books, but dropping half of it.

"Annabelle, really. What's wrong?" Harry asked, a little more seriously now, picking up her stuff and holding it for her.

"The time Harry! Look at the time!" she said worriedly, walking past him and on the way out of the library.

Harry made a grab for his Marauders Map then raced after her, glancing at the library and realizing that students were already there and Madame Pince was in her usual spot at the desk.

He tried to lift up his arm while half-jogging by Annabelle who seemed determined to get to the Great Hall on time, and he too, almost dropped the books when he saw the time.

"_8:53_."

In exactly seven minutes, the carriages would come up to pick them up and take them to Hogsmeade.

He swore out loud.

"Harry!" Annabelle hissed disapprovingly, trying desperately to reach the Great Hall. They were on the moving staircase right now, sometimes jumping four stairs at a time.

"What are we going to do? We can't go to Hogsmeade like this!" he said, noting his wrinkled shirt and more than messy hair.

But Annabelle ignored him completely, muttering words underneath her breath worriedly.

All Harry could make out was "Seamus, Hermione, Seamus, Hermione."

Finally, they reached the Great Hall in a minute's time, and Annabelle let out a sigh of relief when she saw Hermione, Ron, Seamus, and Neville all sitting together at a spot at the Gryffindor table.

Harry stood by her, also relieved.

He didn't know what reactions he'd expect.

Seamus stared at them open-mouthed, with a look of worry mixed with horror when he saw Harry with Annabelle, Ron grinned and waved through his mouthful of food, Hermione looked like she was just about to have a heart attack, and Neville looked completely blank.

Before he knew it, Annabelle was walking quickly to where they were sitting, so he picked up his pace and when they reached the table, he put her stuff beside his cloak and wand. Then he sat beside her.

"Where _were _you?" Hermione demanded, full of anguish when she saw Harry's and Annabelle's disheveled faces.

They opened their mouths to explain, but Hermione wouldn't give them time.

"Annabelle, you weren't in the common room or dormitory all afternoon yesterday – "

"I was – " Annabelle began.

"And then you weren't in the dormitory this morning, your bed completely untouched – "

"Hermione – " Annabelle tried again, ignoring Seamus' expectant and a little hurt face. It broke her heart to see him like that.

But once again, Hermione kept going.

"I even went to the hospital wing, all your classes, searched everywhere outside – "

"Hermione, listen, it's not – " Harry interrupted this time, defending Annabelle.

"And _you_," Hermione narrowed her eyes, raising her finger and pointing it at him as if in attack, "You weren't any better. Ron woke up at three in the morning you know. He freaked when he didn't see you in your bed. And then at eight in the morning when you _still_ weren't there you'd think – "

Seamus' pain filled eyes were scorching Annabelle to the skin.

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled, gaining the attention of half the Great Hall. Hermione looked a little shocked, and then stared at Harry as if he went mad.

Annabelle sunk in her chair when Harry began to explain. Seamus would hate her if he knew she spent the entire night with Harry.

"Listen, okay? Annabelle was in the library the entire time yesterday, catching up on some homework. And while doing that, she fell asleep. And just now, she woke up. Killing herself by worrying what you guys would think when she wouldn't meet you guys here in time."

Annabelle bit her lip as she prepared herself for the next part.

"And at midnight I went looking for Annabelle, because she obviously was lost. I checked the entire Hogwarts underneath my cloak – even the library but it was locked."

Annabelle glanced up in surprise.

"So then I went back to the dormitory, thinking she'd be back by the morning but I couldn't sleep. I was in the washroom at around three, so that might explain Ron," he added, eyeing Ron who reluctantly agreed, "And then woke up early and found her in the library."

Everyone seemed to buy the explanation except for Hermione, who only stiffened, but then said nothing more.

Seamus grabbed Annabelle's hand in his own, smiling warmly at her, all signs of hurt washed away. Everyone in the table started to get into a conversation, and Seamus whispered, "You still up for Hogsmeade, Bee?"

"Bee?" Annabelle asked, suspicion etched in her voice.

"My nickname for you," Seamus grinned. "Like it?"

Annabelle nodded, though she wasn't sure how he got "Bee" from Annabelle.

"Yeah, I'm up to Hogsmeade. Wish I could get changed though," she muttered, grabbing a bagel from the table and biting into it.

"You look beautiful no matter what," Seamus said into her ear softly.

Annabelle jerked away from him – not because of what he said, but because of the extremely weird feeling she felt from his breath in her ear.

He looked sort of confused, but Annabelle covered it up by a quick awkward peck on his cheek. However, she missed his cheek, and kissed his jaw instead. Seamus looked even _more _confused.

Embarrassed, Annabelle looked away and fortunately met Harry's green eyes. He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh as he drank his pumpkin juice. Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him, and desperately begged to stop embarrassing herself. She bit into another piece of her bagel just as McGonogall announced,

"All students who are going to Hogsmeade please begin lining up in front of the school. The carriages will be here shortly."

Annabelle stared at all her books in deep thought. How on earth was she going to make it to the Gryffindor tower and back in two minutes?

Thankfully, Neville answered her mind.

"I'm staying Anna," he said, watching her stare at her books. "If you want, I can take those upstairs for you," he offered.

Annabelle beamed at him. "You'd really do that?"

"Sure."

Annabelle could have hugged him if he wasn't sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Oh Neville, that'd be perfect! Thanks so much," she said, smiling at him.

He shrugged as if it was nothing, but returned her smile.

"You ready to go?" Seamus asked, standing up.

Annabelle nodded and got up from her seat as well, shoving the remains of her bagel into her mouth.

She turned to Neville once more. "Thanks Neville, really."

Neville smiled warmly, and he as well as she knew that it wasn't just for the books she was thanking him for. It was for his understanding. She was so lucky to have a friend like Neville.

Seamus put his arm on Annabelle's waist, and Annabelle couldn't help but let a surprised, "_Oh!_" squeak out of her mouth.

Seamus glanced at her quizzically, and she immediately regretted saying anything.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry's raised eyebrow as well.

"Still getting used to the whole thing," Annabelle explained shyly.

Even with the explanation, she didn't feel comfortable with Seamus' arms around her. So she pretended she needed to tie her shoe lace, and when she got up she made sure to keep distance as she and her friends walked out of the castle.

- - - -


	22. Poor Neville

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I honestly did not mean to keep you guys waiting this long! It's just that I'm growing a little tired of Ero Illic, almost like writer's block. But fear not, I'm sure it will go away soon. :) And the Thankgsiving chapter is coming up after this one. I think, but I'm pretty much 99% sure. I have some news to give to you guys but I forgot what it was, so I'll let you know when I remember. ;)

As usual, thanks to the amazing reviewers: JainaZekk621, Reyrayankar, Leonora, Spelllesswonder29, xolunaxx, Tonks . Loves . Moony, kt . potter93, spannieren, Ecmm, and hollowbastiongrl!

P.S - Thanks for all the good wishes for my trip to Mexico! I had an awesome time :) Love yeh all!

- - - -

In one word, Annabelle could sum up the entire Hogsmeade Trip: Tiring.

After only two hours of walking around Hogsmeade, Annabelle was sure she was going to drop dead - she was _that_ tired. She kept pressuring herself to stay awake, and managed to, but very poorly.

Seamus took her to all these different stores while they were there, and the most money she probably spent was on the store, Honeydukes. They walked for what felt for hours until Annabelle was sure that soon she'll never be able to walk again.

In one store, Seamus bought her some flowers that will never die, and they were beautiful gardenias – Annabelle's favorite type of flower. They smelled so wonderful Annabelle wouldn't stop breathing into them for the next hour or so; Seamus strolling down confidently with his hand in hers.

He smiled at everyone, greeted everyone, so very happy. And Annabelle, seeing him like this, felt joyful inside too. Friends that were happy, made Annabelle happy.

When she passed Draco and his friends, Draco smirked in her direction, suppressing an annoying smile. Annabelle, in response, stuck her tongue out at him when Seamus wasn't looking because he was already irritated at Draco's behavior.

But Draco was only different for a while. You can already see the very dark bags underneath his eyes, and you could tell that he's very, very, tired but he wouldn't talk to Annabelle about the subject – or what he was doing exactly.

Finally, it was lunch time, and Annabelle and Seamus made their way over to the Three Broomsticks, where Ron, Harry, and Hermione were waiting.

Annabelle threw Harry a guilty smile when she saw him, and received a not so convincing grin in return. Seamus had his hand on Annabelle's waist as they walked in deeper to the bar to the same spot as last time, and he sat comfortably beside Annabelle with Harry on the other side.

"So how many butter beers is Anna buying you?" Seamus asked imploringly, when everyone was all seated and ready.

Harry glanced at Annabelle with a goofy smile on his lips. "Ten."

Annabelle groaned. "You're going to explode," she muttered, looking down at the menu and checking if she had enough money for ten butterbeers.

"That's what I said!" Hermione exclaimed, lighting up intensely. Ron grinned beside her.

"No I won't," Harry argued calmly. He stretched his arms and yawned – obviously tired from the earlier night as well.

"It doesn't matter, really," Annabelle said. "I don't mind keeping my promise. It's just I really doubt he'll be able to live up to his bet."

Harry shrugged and then a young waitress came by, holding a pen and a notebook in her hands.

"So what will it be?" the waitress asked, her eyes staring adoringly at Harry's the entire time – but he didn't even seem to notice.

Watching this, a jealous rocket shot in Annabelle's stomach, but she kept repeating to herself in her head, "I have Seamus. I have Seamus."

"Uhm," Annabelle started, and the waitress' attention snapped back to Annabelle. When she smiled, her teeth showed the straightest pearly whites Annabelle has ever seen.

Annabelle glanced around the table and quickly counted heads. "Fourteen butter beers please," she said.

The waitress raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. But like good waitresses do, she didn't protest but simply grabbed the menus back, making sure her hands brushed against Harry's when grabbing his menu. Annabelle could have barfed.

To her relief though, Harry didn't seem to realize that the waitress was developing a crush on him. He's probably used to it, being the "Chosen One," and whatnot, Annabelle thought bitterly.

A howl of shock interrupted Annabelle's thoughts and she twisted her head to look at Ron, whose mouth was shaped in a perfect "O."

He looked like he just found out he was adopted or something.

Hermione was patting him on the shoulder and whispering feverishly as onlookers bended and turned to see what the noise was about. Ron's expression did not change one bit – even Harry was alarmed at his best friend's reactions.

"Victor Krum?!" he practically yelled, causing more people to turn and stare. Annabelle had the biggest urge to tell him to shut up, but decided better of it.

"Victor _Krum_?!" he repeated incredulously.

"Shh Ronald, yes," Hermione said, glancing nervously at all the people in the bar who stopped what they were doing and watched them.

Ron's startled and full of question eyes turned to Hermione in horror.

"_Why?_"

Hermione scoffed. "Well you shouldn't be too surprised about it. After all, you shouldn't have a problem either, seeing as you're going with Lavendar and all," she added the last part crabbily.

Ron still was one step behind, but looked a little embarrassed when Hermione mentioned Lavendar.

"Lavendar?" Harry interrupted, staring at Ron as if he went mad. "When did you ask her?!"

"Oh come off it Harry," Ron said, his voice slightly annoyed. "The ball is next month. I had to ask someone decent before everyone would be gone. Don't you have anyone in mind?"

Harry shook his head slowly, and then glanced at Annabelle. His eyes were beautiful, gentle, and maybe a little hurt. He turned back to Ron. "Not anymore," he said quietly.

Suddenly the waitress came, balancing fourteen big glasses on a tray.

"Here are your butterbeers," she said sweetly, handing them out on the table. She still had her eyes for Harry. "Will there be anything else?"

No one said anything, and finally Annabelle told her no, so the waitress left.

Seamus picked up the harsh conversation that they just dropped.

"You know, you can always ask a girl in another house," he said matter-of-factly.

"I know," Harry snapped, picking up one of his glasses. "Who are you going with, then?"

Seamus instantly put an arm around Annabelle's shoulder, grinning broadly. "Anna, of course."

"We are?" Annabelle said, a little too soon before she realized the mistake she made. Seamus' eyes turned livid.

But what is she supposed to do? It's not like Seamus and her talked about the matter. He didn't even ask her!

"I mean, uhm," Annabelle slid lower in the seat. "We are."

Seamus regained his wide grin.

And that's how the trip went. Harry never finished those ten glasses, instead, he got them put in bottles and took it with him to the Hogwarts castle.

Seamus and Annabelle went to a store to find dress robes for Seamus, they walked some more, and finally, they got back to the castle, Annabelle literally asleep.

Seamus, thank goodness, let her sleep early that night so at around eight o clock Annabelle turned in, hugging the sheets with relief and falling asleep in her warm comfort zone.

- - - -

On Wednesday afternoon the butterflies started to violently attack Annabelle's stomach. And this time, it wasn't about Harry. Oh no, no, no. These came from an entirely different matter.

Thanksgiving.

Annabelle prayed every night that Voldemort wouldn't be there because she was in no mood to see him, or for her to feel more frightened than she already was. Also, she wasn't sure if she'll be able to control her feelings and not kill the man on the spot. She hated Voldemort. _Detested_ him. For what he did to Harry, for all the people he killed, and for what he was making Annabelle turned into.

Draco and Annabelle were to leave on Friday in the morning along with many other Slytherin students and few students from the other houses. The "gathering" was scheduled to be on Saturday, and they'd come back to Hogwarts Sunday evening, just in time to resume with classes on Monday. If there was any possible way to wiggle out of the situation, Annabelle would have done it, but as for now she was stuck.

Annabelle had more homework than she's had in her entire lifetime – it will take hours, if not _days_ to complete. And Seamus, of course, was not helping with the matter.

The truth was, Annabelle liked Seamus – a lot. He cracked jokes that always made her smile, he had a way of being there even when Annabelle wasn't at her best, and he always made her feel comfortable. But the problem was Seamus was _always_ there. Always talking to her, hugging her, kissing her. Annabelle was sure that if she'd take the "How well do you know Seamus Finnigan Quiz?" she'd get one hundred percent.

She loved it when Seamus was there, and she loved having a boyfriend.

But sometimes, just only sometimes, she wondered if this relationship was real. Because in books she'd read there was always passion in relationships, the little things that make the story beautiful. Annabelle figured it was about time she'll feel that way around Seamus.

The bell for the last class rang, and Annabelle was hurrying to get to her last class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts. She knew that if she was only two seconds late, Snape would still take away a few points from Gryffindor. Gosh, she hated him.

As she ran down the corridors hurriedly, she finally reached the door. She bent down for a second, took a breath, and then straightened up, opening the door.

Snape wasn't in there. No, but Blaise was. So was Crabbe and Goyle. Oh, and Draco. And they were all standing around Neville's desk, taunting him as Neville kept his face down, attempting to ignore them.

The worst part of it all was that the entire class was watching, without making a move to defend Neville or help him. And all the Slytherins were doing was making Neville's life miserable.

Disgusted, Annabelle was going to take a step in and defend Neville himself when something extraordinary happened.

Neville stood up – like literally, stood up and pushing his chair back so that it fell with a loud BAM, - and then he punched Blaise, hitting right at home.

The class gasped, and Annabelle, recovering from shock - but so happy she was shaking - remained quiet. Neville wasn't quite done yet, he still had something to say.

"Offend my grandmother one more time Blaise, and you'll be bloody well regretting it," he threatened through his teeth.

The class was so interested and occupied with the scene they didn't notice Snape brush into the room right behind Annabelle.

He made a move to stop the fighting, but Annabelle grabbed his arm and shook her head, mouthing, "It's important."

Snape pursed his lips and turned around to watch, crossing his arms, much to Annabelle's surprise.

"What are you going to do?" Blaise jeered, trying to make up for the punch in his nose. "Send your grandma over and make her curse me herself? Or is she too old to do that?"

"No," Neville hissed, straightening his composure so it was bigger – and stronger – than Blaise's.

"I will do this."

Neville took his own leg as the whole class stared in awe, and jammed it right in the place where it hurts, sending Blaise backwards and falling on his back, howling in pain.

Neville went up and stood over him, scowling. "I, like you, own a wand. And I, like you, don't care how many detentions I'll get – I'll keep hurting you if you ever come near me again."

That's when the loud amount of applause came, Gryffindors hooting loudly, jumping on Neville, and pounding him on the back. Neville looked undefeatable – he had this enflamed look on his face that was beaming so happily it could make anyone's day. Annabelle ran straight at him and jumped at him with so much force it nearly knocked him to the ground and whispered in his ear, "You're parents will be so, so, proud Neville."

"That's enough," came the cold, drowsy and yet somehow bored voice of Snape. He walked to the front of the classroom, in obvious concentration, as everyone around Neville shut their mouths.

"That was completely stupid and quite uncalled for Longbottom," he said, as everyone settled back in their seats. "Such foolish acting. I must say I am very disappointed in your behavior," he said, a sly smile on his face.

"I'm not," Annabelle cut in, before she could stop herself.

"What's that?"

"I think what Neville did was very brave. Very heroic. I think he has more courage in him than Blaise will ever have," she said clearly, knowing she'll get in so much trouble for this.

An eruption of clapping and yells of delight started again but were silenced by Snape, who was now glaring daggers at Annabelle.

"I haven't asked you to speak now, have I?" he said coldly. Annabelle sank in her seat a little more, but Snapes attention was back on Neville.

"Detention Longbottom, and twenty points from Gryffindor. You're friend can join you too," he said, eyeing Annabelle.

The rest of the class went by pretty quickly for Annabelle, and when finally the belle rang she scrambled to her feet and rushed out of the class, glad to be out of that annoying hole.

She wasn't ten feet away from the door before Harry caught up with her, grinning that oh-so-to-die-for grin.

She smiled a little, and they walked out of the corridor together.

"I still can't believe it," he said, his tone impressed. "For Neville to do that, wow."

Annabelle nodded her head enthusiastically. "He was amazing. I'm so glad he finally collected the courage to do it – in front of Snape too!" She shook her head in happiness and replayed the memory in her head proudly.

"He wouldn't have had been able to do it without you," Harry said quietly as they turned the corner.

Annabelle scrunched up her face in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come off it."

Annabelle didn't say anything – maybe because she wasn't sure how to respond to that.

When Harry glanced at her sideways, and she still didn't say anything, he exasperated.

"If it weren't all those times you were practicing with him in the common room, pushing him to defend himself, he wouldn't have had done it, you know."

He stared at her in some sort of respect. Here she was lying about something she _did_ do just so Neville could get all the glory. She knew what she did, but she wasn't saying anything. Annabelle was one of the kindest people Harry had ever met.

"He always had it in him," she whispered. "He did. He just never got to actually doing it."

"Yeah well," Harry said, as they walked up the stairs. "It's not surprising, seeing as what happened to his parents."

"What happened to his parents?"

Harry turned to look at her and stopped in the middle of the stairs. "You didn't know?" he asked in disbelief.

"Know what?"

It took Harry a moment to collect his words. "That Neville's parents are in St. Mungos. Completely mad, both of them. Bellatrix tortured them with the Cruciatous Curse until they went insane."

Annabelle gasped and put her hands to her mouth, stopping in mid air. She was shocked, that was the best way to describe it. She could not believe that her beloved Aunt Bella did that to her friends parents. But Bella couldn't. She was always kind and even though a little insane at times, she wasn't a murderer. But maybe Annabelle was wrong. Maybe everything she knew about her old life was a lie. Then something clicked.

"S-Sirius Black, he – "

"He was killed by Bellatrix, yes," Harry said, and all life went out of him when he said that. He looked down at the floor, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "How did you know that?"

Truthfully, Annabelle was actually eavesdropping on a conversation her mother and Bellatrix were having. Bellatrix said something about him and then her mother said, "Rest in Peace Sirius Black – you won't be missed," and the both burst out into laughter. But the truth wasn't actually in Annabelle. She still didn't believe it. So to make her understand, she said the hated words out loud.

"Bellatrix…. She's a murderer."

Harry nodded solemnly, a little bit of confusion in his eyes.

Everything hit Annabelle like a wall then. A wall of unspoken emotions crashing into her so hard she felt her breath stop, and she stumbled a little but was held up by Harry; his strong arms supporting her worriedly.

"Annabelle?" he asked uneasily. "You okay?"

She wasn't okay.

She was going to be a death eater.

She was going to be like Bellatrix.

She was going to be a murderer.

Her whole, _entire_ life was a lie. It was played out her life, like a book. The ending already known. She's Harry's enemy, and right now he was holding her with obvious concern. He shouldn't be concerned. He shouldn't be even near her.

"H-Harry – " she croaked, ready to tell him everything.

Harry pulled her into a hug, her face buried in his shoulder and his hands on her back sternly. The hug was so warm, so nice. Annabelle felt completely at ease, completely protected in his arms. It felt nothing like it felt in the world, and even though time felt like it could freeze right now – it wouldn't. Annabelle's reality will never mix with her dreams, and she pulled away lightly.

She took a deep breath, knowing what she's about to do it right. Harry had to know. If he'd hate her, then good riddance. Harry wouldn't be a good friend if he wouldn't understand.

So carefully, she grabbed both of his hands and held on tightly, staring straight at his eyes. Oh, those eyes.

"Harry, there's something you have to know," she whispered, feeling like they were the only two people alive right now. But of course they weren't, because all of a sudden someone coughed nosily.

As if they were burned, Annabelle's hands immediately let go of Harry's and dropped to her side. She turned to come face to face with Seamus, who had quite an unpleasant look on his face. He crossed his arms.

"S-Seamus!" Annabelle said, with surprise and what she hoped with affection when his eyes met hers. "H-hi! I was just about to go find you so we could do er, homework together!"

Seamus raised an eyebrow and looked at Harry pointedly. Harry raised his arms in defense. "It was nothing Seamus."

"Nothing?" he repeated.

"Please Seamus," Annabelle begged, grabbing his hand, but he pulled away. "I was just upset, H-Harry told me something – "

"What?" he said icily.

Harry, who seemed a little pissed off now, straightened his shoulders and looked at Seamus annoyingly. "About Neville's parents. About how Bellatrix tortured them to insanity. About how they're in St. Mungos right now and can't even remember their son. About how Neville keeps gum wrappers in his pockets given to him by his parents, because that's probably the only gift he receives from them."

Annabelle of course didn't know this, but this explanation was going really well because a look of horror crossed Seamus' face. Annabelle was sure she had an identical face as him. The atmoshpere had went suddenly very, very quiet.

"N-Neville - ?" Seamus couldn't even finish the sentence, the poor bloke.

Harry nodded his head, once. "Dumbledore told me. But Seamus, you can't tell anyone else. Imagine what the school would do when they find out - just keep it a secret for now."

Seamus agreed instantly. "Of course. Wow."

He looked at Annabelle, then pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry Anna, I shouldn't have jumped on you like that. But… oh bloody hell. That's just – "

"Crazy," Harry finished for him.

Seamus held Annabelle tighter, and even though Annabelle felt herself being forgiven, she didn't feel an ounce better.

- - - -

I'm hating Seamus too now. Time to bring Harry more in the picture! :)


	23. Thanksgiving Dinner

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter. :(

Okaay. Please don't be mad? 3 I love you all too much, so please, please don't be too mad. :] I was so busy. I hate my busy life. BUT, this is finally the Thanksgiving chapter ;)

BTW, did you hear about the polish president? (this is like a week ago) He died on a plane crash along with 90 officials. I'm polish so it sorta/really sucks. :( Rip.

ANYWAYS, back to business. THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH REVIEWERS! These set of reviews made me SO SO SO SO SO happy! I'm going to bold ALL the names because I was smiling all day after I read each one! :D So thank you to **alyssasmile, JainaZekk621, Leonora, IceCreamDragon, kt . potter93, spannieren, A, hollowbastiongrl, Reyrayankar, Annabella and Harry Forever(I like this name! :P) klutzygal12, Hurry up or Else, .Moony**.

Love you guys!

When Friday morning came, Annabelle couldn't be less than happy. She was not looking forward to going back home AT ALL.

Neville's been getting so much praise, and so far, none of the Slytherins have decided to bug him yet. Seamus and Annabelle are keeping it strong, and the weather is getting colder by the day.

Annabelle had to leave at six in the morning so that they'd get back home on time, so she was exhausted when she sat down in a compartment on the train. Not many people left – in fact barely any did at all. It was only the Slytherins.

Right now, Annabelle was sitting next to Draco on the train, across from Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise. Pansy decided it was too treacherous for her to be in the same compartment as Draco. In some mingled way, Annabelle felt sorry for her.

Draco hadn't uttered a single word to Annabelle at all. Before they left, he saw her with Harry and fell into a fit of rage. He wouldn't hear any of Annabelle's excuses, and he swore he'd tell the parents. Annabelle started to worry after she heard this. Of course they'll be going back to their parents – and hers will be the least happy with her. She was sure Bellatrix was going to tell them about the night of Halloween.

So Annabelle kept to herself on the ride back, dreading facing her mom and dad, and hoping the punishment wouldn't be too bad. Occasionally, Blaise would speak to her, and she responded, not to be mean although she really wasn't in the mood. Even the goons said a word to her but she didn't answer. She hated them, so, so much.

When the train finally came to a stop, Annabelle was sure she'd faint from the stress.

_It will be over soon Annabelle. Don't think about it, don't think about it…_

Draco grabbed the duffel bag that contained his and Annabelle's clothes, and stepped out of the compartment, Annabelle hurrying after him.

He stepped off the train and Annabelle, nervous and a little scared followed him off, scanning the parents waiting anxiously until her eyes met Narcissa's.

Her mother had a smile on her face (which was a plus) but it was forced. (Which was a minus.)

Draco began to walk over to his mother and Annabelle turned around to say a quick goodbye to his friends.

Crabbe and Goyle merely grunted, while Blaise flashed that snobbish smile Annabelle seriously hated.

So she turned around, faced her fate with bravery, and started with a what she hoped confident stroll, walking straight to her mother.

"My Draco," Narcissa gasped when Annabelle and Draco stopped in front of her, shoulder to shoulder. "You've lost so much weight!"

Draco didn't say anything. He looked tired, and Annabelle couldn't really blame him. It didn't help that it was ten in the evening either.

"And Anna_belle_," her mother said, emphasizing the last part of her name. "You grew."

Even as much as her mother tried to hide the incredulity and anger in her tone, Annabelle could still spot it. _Oh boy._

"Did I?" Annabelle asked as sweetly as she could. "Mom, you're so much prettier than the last time I saw you!"

Draco rolled his eyes and muttered "Suck up," but Narcissa didn't notice. In fact, Narcissa ignored that comment completely, and turned back to Draco.

"Your father will be so happy to finally see you," her mother said, a curve smile on her face.

"I thought he was in Azkaban?"

"Oh no, not anymore. The Dark Lord was good hearted enough to break him out, along with many others."

_Goodhearted._ Annabelle could have thrown up right there.

"Well, we best get going! Four families from America are staying over, and tomorrow the house will be mad-packed so we best prepare," she said, glancing at her watch.

"So Conner is going to be there?"

Connor was the best looking guy Annabelle knows. He has shaggy blond hair and chocolate brown eyes – not to mention he is very, very, toned.

Connor and his family lived in America now, but only two years before they lived in England. When they lived in England, Connor didn't go to school - he was tutored, so he took up the position of Annabelle's big brother while Draco was gone.

Connor was Draco's best friend and Annabelle's what-felt-like-big-brother..

"Yes," Narcissa said curtly, after taking a long moment to hesitate. "He will be."

Annabelle shut her mouth because she didn't want to get on her mother's nerves yet, so she grabbed Narcissa's arm as Draco grabbed the other, and they apparated both on the spot, the Hogwarts train vanishing from sight.

When Annabelle got home, she was dead exhausted and without greeting anyone – she headed straight to her room. Everyone in the household was in the large family room, and Annabelle didn't have the time or heart to say hi to them all. She also didn't want to see the pissed off expression on her father's face.

She shared her room with Draco – which was plain stupid because their house had about six other bedrooms. Narcissa forced them to share because, "twins are twins and they usually share everything together as well as look exactly alike."

When she opened the door to her room she breathed in the familiar scent and walked to her bed, which was across from Draco's in the room. Their room was like a light green, and they shared pretty much everything – except for two different wardrobes where they kept their clothes. Before Annabelle went to Hogwarts and Draco was gone, she had the whole room to herself and even connected the beds together to have more space. But now, that is really unlikely to happen.

Tired and stressed, she threw herself on her bed and closed her eyes, imagining the look of her dad's face right now. And then, without her consent, Harry's face appeared.

His untidy hair that was shaggy and so messy, his emerald sparkling green eyes, his scar, his smile… oh his smile…

"Belle!" a well-known voice shouted, slamming the door and scaring Annabelle out of her wits. She didn't even have time to open her eyes when she felt the hard figure of Connor crush her into the bed. "It's so good to see you! God, you changed! What happened to the little girl with pig tails and a smile to wide for her face?" he exclaimed, taking some weight off of her. She laughed when she saw him – he looked like he always had. Handsome, charming, a little crazed.

"Shut up Connor," she smiled. Connor sat up on the bed beside her, and ruffled her hair; messing it up so it went everywhere.

She glared at him through her messed up bangs. "Thanks a lot."

"Anytime," he grinned.

Then Draco appeared through the door, tired, a little sad… but when he saw Connor his face lit up immediately.

"Dray!" Connor yelled, jumping off the bed and hurling himself straight at Draco – causing them both to fall over.

See, this was the thing with boys. Annabelle couldn't understand why they couldn't just hand shake, or wave or hug or something. They have to throw themselves on the other in effort to say hello – more like killing themselves, in Annabelle's point of view.

But Draco and Connor have been best friends since they were babies, so that might explain it all. Annabelle watched them from her crossed-legged position on the bed, a small smile on her face. With Connor's presence, he brought back memories when life was easy for everyone.

Finally, they got up, half-laughing, Connor already talking about some girl he met in America and how he was head over heels for her. Annabelle couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"And what's with you man? Are my recourses correct in hearing that you are dating a fine lady named Pansy Parkinson?" he asked, winking at Annabelle.

Draco's good mood fell and he glared at Annabelle, who raised her palms up innocently. It wasn't her fault the guy broke up with Pansy.

"No," Draco said, stepping farther into the room and lying down on his own bed, hands behind his head. "We broke up."

Connor went silent and stared at Annabelle, quite confused in what to say.

Annabelle sighed, and then walked over to Draco forcing a spot on his bed for her.

"Drake," she said, using the nickname she used when she was about ten years old. She stopped eventually, but the name never failed to loosen Draco up. "Pansy was disgusting. She was all over you all the time – something girls shouldn't do. She's honestly not worth your time – there are way better girls for you," she said soothingly, as Connor came to sit beside her.

Draco didn't say anything for a while. He looked a little bored, a little sad, but finally he said, "I can't think about it now. It doesn't matter."

And then the voice came. The great dooming, full of anger voice. "Belle and Draco, come downstairs right now please."

Annabelle felt herself pale a little, and she turned to look at Draco with panicked eyes. Draco held her stare for a few moments before jumping off the bed and helping Annabelle off.

"Don't worry about it," he said softly, grabbing her shoulders and leading her downstairs. Annabelle wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore - but she knew that Draco would be there with her.

Annabelle and Draco were seated on opposite ends of a table, with both their parents in between them. Their arms were crossed and were making it a point to stare at each of them defiantly without saying anything.

Draco didn't look uncomfortable, but Annabelle could tell he was nervous by the constant tapping of his foot. She herself felt squirmy, trying to match up her parents stance with a straight posture – and she tried to make her face expressionless. Finally, the silence was broken.

"We heard you made Gryffindor, Belle," Lucious said icily. "Congratulations."

Annabelle knew he wasn't really congratulating her – his voice was full of sarcasm, and she felt her heart drop just a little.

"Thanks Dad," she said quietly, trying to put as much as affection as possible in that one word. Dad – the word meant a lot. Dad meant for him to be there, no matter what. For him to love you, even if you do the most wrong things. Annabelle felt a pang knowing her dad wasn't anything like that.

"We're going to come out quite clear with this Belle," her dad said calmly, staring at her eyes. "We know that you've made Gryffindor – which is quite surprising actually. And we know that most of the time, you'll be around Gryffindors. But you must remember that your true friends will always be in Slytherin."

Annabelle thought of Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle. _Yeah, right._

"Therefore your mother and I expect you to be with you brother, stay with him during your free time. You may sit, and share a house with the Gryffindors, but everyone in this table knows that you're really a Slytherin. Saying this, we want you to act like a Slytherin."

Annabelle bit her tonguehard. She was just about to retort at her father, and she couldn't allow that happening.

"We've also were notified about something very outrageous Annabelle," Lucious said solemnly, and Annabelle felt herself get cold.

"If our recourses are correct, you've been off of school grounds with Harry Potter," her dad made sure to add venom when he said that. Annabelle felt Draco's eyes on her with confusion and incredulously. "Is that true?"

The next moment that went by was the most treacherous moment Annabelle had in her lifetime. Draco looked shocked hearing the news and all three pairs of eyes were staring at her, hard, waiting for an answer.

She knew she could lie – everyone can. But she also knew that she'd be punished when they'd find out, and she _knew_, they'd find out.

So slowly and in fright, she nodded her head. Once.

Her father slammed down his fists on the table, so hard that it knocked down all three water glasses, breaking them as they fell. Annabelle and her mother jumped high in the air, and Annabelle tasted blood in her mouth from where she was biting her tongue so hard.

When her father's eyes met Annabelle's – well, it was the scariest thing she had seen in her life.

"Potter!" he spat, "Off of school grounds with POTTER?"

Annabelle couldn't meet his eyes. She just couldn't get scared anymore than she already was.

Having no answer, her father stood right up and knocked his chair over, pacing down the room and breathing heavily.

Draco had his mouth open so wide a baseball could fit in it. Her mother was, well, ashamed.

"ANNABELLE CORNELIA MALFOY," her father roared, and Annabelle could feel the guests listening. "YOU ARE A PURE BLOOD. YOU DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT HANG AROUND ANY OTHER BLOOD TYPES. ESPECIALLY, _ESPECIALLY,_ HARRY GODDAMN POTTER!"

"Dad – " Annabelle whispered, really shaken now.

"DON'T DAD ME!" Lucious cut off, his eyes wide and seething. He had stopped pacing and came to an abrupt stop in front of Annabelle, his entire body trembling.

"OFF OF SCHOOL GROUNDS IS ONE THING – WITH POTTER IS A COMPLETELY STUPID – "

"Lucious," her mother said softly, in a tone Annabelle did not recognize. Her father's head snapped up to glower at his wife, but after a while of staring, his breathing lessened and he seemed to calm down just a little bit.

He turned to Annabelle, who was close to crying already.

"This is the last chance Annabelle. You are not allowed near Potter and his little friends. If Draco catches it and reports back to me, you will be punished. You might even be taken away from that school, which obviously won't make you happy. Understood?"

It was a good thing Annabelle was sitting, because her legs would have given in entirely. She nodded her head numbly.

And with that, her dad swept out of the room, still red in the face.

Annabelle didn't feel like facing her mother. Or Draco. Or anyone in the world for that matter. All Annabelle wanted was to be alone.

So she jumped to her feet and ran out of the room. Running, running. She wasn't sure how she was doing it, she was sure her feet were going to give in any second.

Why can't you just run? Run away from everything. All the problems, all the mistakes. Annabelle could answer her own question though.

_Because everything just seems to catch up anyways._

She couldn't take it anymore. The world, her father, her family, death eaters – OOF!

Annabelle hit something really hard on the staircase, and wheeled down, panting heavily. That something was a little kid, one that was no older than two years old. One that had blond hair and brilliant blue eyes – something she's seen many times in her life.

Only then did Annabelle realize tears were streaming down her cheeks. Tears – from where? Why are they here, and where did they come from?

She stared down at the little boy who was watching her with curiosity, not sure what was going on. Oh, how lucky he was to be a little boy.

After a minute of strained silence, Annabelle took another step and bypassed him, muttering something like "Goodnight," when she heard _it_.

The boy whispered something high pitched, something unusual. The boy said, "Beek'ug."

Annabelle turned around, knowing she misheard what he said completely.

The boy had his mouth closed and was staring at her with that same expression, and had a sort of small smile on his face.

"Peacock?" she asked, wondering why he suddenly blurted out the name of a bird. But then again, all two year olds do that. They don't think, they just do.

But the boy shook his head vigorously. He slowly raised his arms so they were on either side of him, and looked straight in her eyes.

"Beeg hug?"

Realization hit Annabelle and she knew he wanted a "big hug." But she stared at him – this time she was curious. What was the boy doing here? Why did he want to hug a stranger?

"Big hug," Annabelle repeated, shifting her foot. "Uhm, okay."

She bent down and the boy came to her, throwing his small arms around her entire body. And for some reason, it felt good. To be loved for who you are. To be loved by a stranger. When he pulled away, he smiled.

Annabelle didn't know she was smiling until the corner of her cheeks were up. How he managed to lift her mood, she had no idea. The boy gave her one last squeeze, before resuming his walk downstairs, leaving Annabelle alone on the staircase.

She wondered how little kids think. Is all forgiven because of love? Do they love everything so much they couldn't care less about the mistakes?

Okay, so I said I'd bring Harry more into the picture, but I haven't in this chapter because it's Thanksgiving! But I will when they get back to Hogwarts :)


	24. Strangers As Enemies

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but the theme park opens this week! :D

SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! Heh. You know, I'd actually willingly pass you my wand that's a surprisingly straight stick that I found while I was camping at a lake and painted it black with sharpie to use to "Avada Kedavra" me with it. :) So sorry for the long wait! I swear, next chapter is going to be updated in the next two weeks! I swear on Harry Potter, people!

Thanks to my lovely reviewers... Leanora, spannieren, kt . potter93, Reyrayankar, IceCreamDragon, Hurry up or else, .Moony, klutzygal12, ., hollowbastiongrl, BellaCullen2312, and pixiestixz! You guys seriously make me sooo happy! I actually went to write my socials test and totally bombed it but I didn't care because I was really happy and smiling the whole day when I read these reviews! Makes my day! I look like a grinning fool thanks to you guys, but I love it!

Thanks for putting up with me!

(for some reason, my page breakers things aren't working so please excuse the trail of "hphphphphphphp" that will break the story up)

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The morning of the dinner, Annabelle didn't get out of bed. She didn't feel the least bit like it, so instead she stayed in with her lifeless form, pretending to be asleep.

She was alone in the room like so many times before, tired, sad, a little panicked.

So many things had to go wrong. Her life was turned around the minute she stepped into Hogwarts. Why?

Maybe she shouldn't have had gone at all. She could have spent another lonesome year all to herself, counting down the days Draco would come home.

But then she wouldn't have met Harry Potter. And Harry Potter is different. He's not the stuck up arrogant person she imagined he'd be when she first heard of him. He's the completely opposite. Caring, understanding, loving…

She loved who she was when she was with him. Though constantly screwing up, accidentally hurting him and embarrassing herself many times – Harry made her feel good about herself. Him smiling at her made her day – and it was in that instant she was sure she liked Harry Potter.

Which was completely stupid and selfish of her. She shouldn't even know him.

But Annabelle knows she's not going to listen to her parents. No one can keep her away from Harry. She likes him just too much.

The door to her room opened with a loud BANG, and in came Connor, with a happy grin on his face.

"Good Morning Sunshine!" he yelled, his blond hair tousling as he stepped in farther and jumped on the bed beside Annabelle.

She groaned and turned her head away, not ready to face anyone yet.

"Awe, come on," he said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Belle, don't worry about it."

_He knew about yesterday_, Annabelle thought. Of course he knew about yesterday. Everyone knows what happened yesterday.

"You should have seen his face," Annabelle whispered, pulling the sheets closer to herself.

"He'll get over it," Connor said reassuringly, standing up and going over to her floor length mirror so he could examine himself.

He had a collared black shirt on with a blue tie; which looked absolutely brilliant with his eyes. And he looked so handsome Annabelle was willing to bet that girls would literally line up to date him.

She sighed and rolled over on another side of her body as he continued to stare at himself with full confidence.

"You look irresistible Connor," she said sarcastically. Connor knew he was good looking. And he used it to the best of his ability. Apart from his amazing looks he had charm – and could practically get everything he wanted out of it. Everyone simply _loved_ him.

"I know," he grinned cockily, and turning around. "But you better get ready. You're mom said she bought you a nice black dress and that it's in your closet."

"What, are we attending a funeral?" Annabelle muttered and she knew Connor heard her, because he rolled his eyes. Everyone was wearing black. The only exception in Connor's case was his tie.

So tiredly, Annabelle got off her bed and walked past Connor to the closet, to see what kind of dress her mother had bought her.

It was a pretty plain dress short dress that looked like a box and seemed like the neck line would choke her, but Annabelle didn't really have anything against it. Though it admittedly, was not her style. She didn't care how it looked anymore though – as long as it got to her parents good side.

When she turned around, Connor had his face scrunched up as if he smelled some rotten egg but then was smiling as if he enjoyed it. Annabelle could immediately tell he was trying to have a pleasant expression on his face.

"You know, you can tell the truth," Annabelle told him.

"It's horrible," Connor said at once, is face coming back to normal. "I can't believe they'd make you wear something like that."

"Well, after last night I do need to make up for some things…" Annabelle muttered, placing the dress back in the closet. She didn't feel like changing right about now.

"I still can't believe you hang around Harry Potter," Connor said his voice unreadable. Annabelle wasn't sure if he was disappointed or interested. That was the way with Connor though; you were never fully sure.

"Yeah, well."

Then he asked an unexpected question. "Is he fun to hang out with?"

Annabelle raised an eyebrow defiantly, surprised by the question. But Connor seemed completely serious, so she answered it. "He's not what you'd think he is. Harry's so nice, and he's really funny too. He can make my day any day."

She was completely honest with it, but she tried not to show much emotion into the topic.

Connor looked lost in thought. After a few minutes of just silence, he said, "It's weird, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"How someone we – well _I_ – don't even know will end up as our enemy. And only because of the dark lord." Connor looked away skeptically to the window, and Annabelle completely understood him. He was right, of course.

"It sucks," she admitted.

"I'm scared Annabelle," he whispered, using her full name like he always did at serious times. "I don't want to be a murderer."

"You don't have to be," she said quickly, closing a drawer. "We don't have to be like him."

"Yes we – "

Connor was cut off when Draco entered the room, who seemed to be in better spirits than ever. He was humming to himself and didn't look twice at Annabelle and Connor, who were sitting on the same bed, heads bowed in deep conversation. Of course they jumped back when they heard the door slamming.

"Hey guys," Draco said cheerfully, wearing a tux that suited him perfectly. "What's going on?"

Annabelle went quiet and turned to a random book she had on her nightstand while Connor answered for them. "Just talking about the party today," he grinned – covering up the situation perfectly.

"Excited?" Draco asked. Annabelle took her covers and put them around her.

"Sort of," Connor said. "I can't wait to see how everyone changed over the years!"

"Yeah, well, it's not that much of a difference."

And Annabelle wondered. How much of a difference everything has been in the last few months. Everything will change. Everything won't be the same anymore.

And in all honestly, Annabelle wasn't looking forward to it one bit.

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When the guests started to arrive, Narcissa was in full panic mode. Annabelle was actually scared that her mother would drop with a heart attack or something. The dining room was huge and everything looked perfect – except her mother obviously didn't think so. Annabelle and Draco weren't helping matters when Annabelle came down in a rage, wearing only a towel, with damp hair.

"Mom! Draco stole my dress!"

Annabelle just got out of the shower and was dripping water everywhere. Narcissa wasn't paying attention – her eyes were too busy on the stirring of the soup.

"Honey – "

"Why would I steal her dress?" Draco's face popped out of the doorway, innocent, but smug.

"YOU!" Annabelle screamed, starting to sprint towards him.

"Children!" Narcissa snapped, taking her eyes off the soup. "Draco… give Annabelle back her dress and – ANNABELLE WHAT IN GODS NAME ARE YOU DOING HERE IN ONLY A TOWEL? YOU'RE MAKING THE WHOLE FLOOR WET. UPSTAIRS, _NOW!_"

"But Mom – "

"NOW!" Her mother repeated, waving the spoon dangerously over her head.

Annabelle didn't even think twice; she rushed out of the kitchen as fast as possible, swearing under her breath the entire way.

The house was very chaotic. Last minute touch-ups were being done, the washrooms were steamy and were nearly out of hot water, and Annabelle sworn it was never louder in the house.

When it hit 6 o'clock, everyone tried to hide their panic and anxiety into calm expressions. Annabelle and Draco were scheduled to be standing by the door and beckoning the guests in towards their seats. Connor was to bring refreshments in, and the rest of the family were to sit in their big seats, awaiting for the death eaters. Anna\belle hated to look at the table – because her parents made sure to give the biggest, most comfortable seat to Voldemort – if he decided to show.

Annabelle did _not_ want to see him. She knew that if she laid eyes on him she'd whip out her wand and kill him on the spot. Even though her magic sucked.

So the first guests began to arrive and it consisted of a plump man and woman, both who were very unfriendly.

"Good evening!" Annabelle said brightly, as Draco took their coats and hung them neatly into the dresser. "How are you doing today?"

The woman ignored her, and the man muttered something that was totally incomprehensible. They gruffly waddled (literally, waddled like penguins) into the dining room without further address, leaving Annabelle wide eyed and a mean retort up her sleeve.

"Don't even try sis," Draco said lazily, leaning against the wall. "Everyone's going to be like this."

"Why are death eaters so cold?"

Draco shrugged. And then after a moment of silence, he said, "Because."

More guests began to arrive, most of them being middle aged men and women, and there were very few children.

Annabelle counted. In total, only two people answered her 'Good Evening'. A woman who was fairly young and had very sad eyes, and a little Asian boy with a black sweater on – who was absolutely adorable.

To Annabelle's relief and happiness, Voldemort did not show his face on the doorstep. She and Draco then entered the dining room which was packed with people, lots of chattering going around. There were two separate tables; one for the older people, and one for the kids.

The kids table had twenty two children sitting there, four of them being babies, three seven year old kids, about 6 other kids, and the rest teenagers.

Annabelle sat down at that table, licking her lips at the sight of the food. Everything looked absolutely delicious. Draco had sat down beside her, and only to Annabelle's misfortune, Blaise had comfortably seated himself on the other side of her.

She groaned.

"Hello Belle," he said, and Annabelle noticed that Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were all sitting there too. She also couldn't help but notice that Draco was edging as far away as possible from Pansy.

"Evening Blaise," and unlike most of the greetings she gave to the guests, this one was bitter. Draco grinned across from the table at Blaise, who nodded in response.

But Blaise didn't take his eyes off Annabelle. "You look stunning tonight."

"Thank you, so do – "

"Hey friends!" Connor nearly shouted as he suddenly came in, occupying the empty seat next to Draco. He met Draco's gang several times before. "And how are we doing here?"

Pansy smiled and Annabelle didn't like it – her face was hungry, and not in the literal sense.

"Connor! It's so good to see you, my, you've changed!" she said adoringly. Draco rolled his eyes, as Connor nodded politely in Pansy's direction.

"So have you, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Pansy bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically.

While the miniature conversation was going on, Annabelle examined the people in the table. There were lots of annoying kids who were making the biggest mess eating, but at least most of the people were teenagers, whom were extremely polite.

And then her eyes laid themselves on the same intense blue eyes she saw last night. The same blond haired boy was staring at her with his mouth a little open, his head tilt to one side. He looked confused.

Unlike last night though, Annabelle held the boy's gaze, wondering what it was that interested him in her so much. And wondering why for some reason she knew him, even though she knows she's never met him before.

He was so weird….

"Annabelle? Belle!"

"What?" her attention snapped back to her friends, and they knew she was completely out of it. "Did something happen?"

"No, I was just wondering if you wanted anything to drink," Connor grinned at her. Annabelle glanced at her empty glass.

"Sure. Water, please."

Connor set off to the kitchen with an arched back and a walk that belonged to a waiters – which was funny, but Annabelle didn't feel like laughing even though Pansy was giggling her heart out.

Uneasily, she looked over at the adults table and towards that one big, seat, and felt relieved knowing Voldemort wasn't here. _Yet._ If he were to come at all.

She focused back on the table, only to have Draco's piercing eyes staring at her, obviously anxious as well.

"I don't think he's going to come," he whispered.

Annabelle shivered. "I hope not."

"Awe, Belle!" Blaise said, startling Annabelle. She forgot he was there at the table with her. He had a solemn look on his face, and he began to pull off his jacket. "If you were cold, why didn't you say so?"

He had completely taken it off now, and was about to place it on her shoulders. Annabelle jerked away out of habit, but Blaise's expression didn't change.

"I'm not cold," she told him.

Annabelle hated him for a lot of reasons right then. Firstly, his jacket stank. She wasn't sure what type of deodorant he wore – if he were any at all – but it made the jacket smell like farm animals. It definitely needed a wash – soon. Secondly, it was the ugliest jacket Annabelle had ever seen in her life. If he wanted to look like a leprechaun, fine with her – _but not at a fancy dinner_. And thirdly, he was obviously being kind and nice because Narcissa just happened to be looking over at them. Idiot.

But Annabelle didn't argue, she wanted to prove to her mother that she was a good daughter, so she accepted it with a smile and put her heartfelt thoughts away for a while.

Connor came back with the glass, and once again the table filled with chatter. Annabelle deliberately tried not to make eye contact with that little boy, because in all truth, he was freaking her out a little bit.

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So.. thanksgiving is American? Heh. Wanna pretend the Malfoys celebrate it... even though they're british? I know this is really unlikely, but I have no idea how else to fix this stupid mistake and I really don't know what else I can use to make this dinner a "special occasion." Bear with me guys? Sorry!


	25. A Special Shield Charm

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :(

Hey guys! GUESS WHAT, I've decided to update more frequently during the summer, so expect to be seeing at least one new chapter each week, if not two! 8) BTW, did you see the new Harry Potter 7 trailer? OMG MY HEART BROKE, November has to come _faster!_

Thank you to my lovely reviewers! I didn't expect many, because the last chapter wasn't exactly the best, but you still reviewed it so it made me feel amazing! (Btw, Annabelle is back in Hogwarts in this chapter which means... MORE HARRY!) Aha, so thank you to kt . potter93, Leanora, pixiestixz, xxbabyxox, JainaZekk621, hollowbastiongrl, and Tonks . Loves . Moony!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

Annabelle walked into the common room with a rather HUGE surprise waiting for her. As she stepped through the portrait hole, her eyes wandered around the common room for her friends. When they reached the sofa, and the occupants that were on it, she gasped out loud.

Ron was kissing …. Lavendar?

Not kissing, snogging is more like the word for it. She tried to make out which hand is which and who's mouth was who's – but it was everywhere. In truth, watching them like that, Annabelle felt disgusted.

Ron, who must have noticed her stare stopped kissing and turned around with a grin at Annabelle. Annabelle smiled back, but her heart was broken for Hermione.

"Annabelle! I have to talk to you! But let me finish, you know," he grinned sheepishly. Annabelle nodded and was about to walk towards the dormitory and get some sleep, but she wanted to talk to Hermione. Much more, she wanted to find out what the heck was going on. So knowing exactly where her friend would be at the time, she headed out to the library.

On her way she didn't pass any of her friends, which was very odd, but she kept walking anyways. When she reached the big oak doors of the library, she opened them, and walked over to her "special spot." Hermione found out about it, so she decided to claim it too, which was perfectly fine with Annabelle.

When Annabelle reached the table, she was relieved to find Harry with Hermione. Hermione was sitting with an annoyed expression on her face, and she was working harshly on some paper. Harry didn't have anything with him, he was just watching Hermione.

Harry glanced up, and when he saw Annabelle, a wide grin spread across his face.

"Annabelle!"

Hermione didn't even look up.

Annabelle didn't say anything; she crossed her arms and stared at Harry intensely, waiting for him to get the message. She chanced a quick but pointed glance at Hermione, and he right away knew that she had seen Ron.

"There's this one book I wanted to show you," he muttered anxiously, standing up and grabbing her arm. "Be right back, Hermione."

Harry led her to a different part of the library, and looked around his surroundings cautiously. Annabelle, on the other hand, wasn't so cautious.

"What is going on with Ron and Lavendar?" she demanded. Her voice must have been pretty loud because Harry turned on his heel in alarm and shushed her quickly. Thank goodness there were no curious bystanders.

"He asked her out," Harry whispered. "The day you left. He and Hermione got in this stupid fight, and he asked her out."

Annabelle stared at him incredulously.

He raised his palms up innocently. "Don't ask me why he did it! I don't even know what they fought over!"

"So now they're not talking to each other at all?"

"Nope."

She stared at him in disbelief. Out of all possible girls… Lavendar? She must have known though, all along she was staring at him as if he were some delicious object.

"And Hermione… just… let it?" Annabelle asked quietly.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so."

Annabelle looked over her shoulder and watched Hermione painfully, who was jabbing the quill forcefully on the piece of parchment.

"Welcome back, by the way," Harry said, steering the subject in a different direction. "Did you have fun?"

Annabelle opened her mouth to say no, but she forgot that Harry doesn't know anything about her so she nodded helplessly. "Yeah… it was great," she lied.

"Yeah we had the best time," he said, his eyes mischievous. "You know, with you gone and everything," he winked.

"Jerk!" Annabelle cried, grabbing the nearest book and smacking him in the side.

Harry laughed, and the sound was like music to Annabelle's ears.

Unfortunately, Madame Pince decided to come around just in time to see Annabelle violate the library book.

"Excuse me miss," she said angrily. "That's a library book, not a weapon."

Annabelle felt herself go red. "Sorry," she said quickly.

"I'm not sure if you're very sorry," Madame Pince said knowingly. "Perhaps a detention to sort your priorities out? Not to mention, the book you just used is very valuable."

Annabelle glanced down at the title of the book. _101 Ways to Wear Black for Women._

She wasn't sure how 'valuable' this book really was.

"I was teasing her Madame Pince," Harry stepped in.

Madame Pince's owl eyes zoomed over to Harry. "Is that a good excuse to hit you with a book, Mr. Potter?"

When Harry didn't say anything, Madame Pince turned back to face Annabelle smugly. "Wednesday night at 7 then. You can come to the library and help me sort out shelves of books. You can put that book away now, and maybe leaving the library would be a good choice."

Obediently, and completely embarrassed, Annabelle placed the book back on its shelf and started to follow Madame Pince away from the area.

There was a sudden loud thump from behind her, and Annabelle jumped. She looked around to see Harry with crossed arms, the same book she put back by his feet.

"Mr. Potter," Madame Pince said, her eyes fiery with anger. "Did you just throw that book on the ground?"

Annabelle looked at Harry in complete shock, then back at Madame Pince fearfully.

"Maybe," Harry said.

Annabelle wanted to laugh. Oh, Harry was such a great friend.

"I've had enough of it!" Madame Pince shrieked, throwing up her arms. "Both of you have detention for the next week. I don't care if you have any other activities," she said seriously, glaring at Harry who shrugged.

She then left with her nose in the air, and Annabelle finally giggled.

"You didn't have to do that," she told Harry.

Harry smiled – it was absolutely gorgeous. "I wanted to."

* * *

"Neville, just do it," Annabelle said, the fortieth time that evening. She was sitting on the couch beside him, and she could have swore this was the most relaxed she was in a long while. It was the first of December, and everything was going fine so far. It's been a week and a few days since Thanksgiving, but Annabelle tried not to think about that. Instead, she found herself convincing Neville into doing an 'impossible' task.

To ask Luna Lovegood to the Cedric's Ball.

"I can't just go up to her Anna," he said, frustrated. "I barely talked to her since last year… I doubt she even remembers me!"

"Of course she remembers you!"

"How would you know?" Neville demanded.

Annabelle re-arranged how she was sitting, and found herself face to face with Neville. "I know because I see the way you look at her, and I see the way she looks at you. She likes you too Neville, really!"

"So what, you want me to just ask her out? Get rejected and become the school's biggest loser again?"

Annabelle opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "The worst thing in life is not saying anything, and then regretting it later. Take the chance Neville. The worst she can do is say no," she said softly.

Neville peered over at her with a serious expression on his face. "Coming from the person who won't have the guts to ask Harry out," he said grimly.

Annabelle froze – but for only a second – before she grabbed a pillow to throw at him. He was a second to fast though, and he stopped the pillow from coming his way with his wand.

He looked very amused.

Annabelle was worried someone else heard – and Seamus, oh thank God Seamus wasn't here – but no one seemed to notice anything. She turned back to Neville with fire in her eyes.

"Neville!" she hissed.

Neville laughed out loud, annoying the hell out of Annabelle.

After a few minutes of complete annoyance, Annabelle slumped in the sofa, something else coming into her mind.

"Why does everyone think I like Harry?" she asked quietly.

Neville glanced at her knowingly. "Because we see the way you act around him Annabelle. We see the way Harry acts around _you_."

Annabelle didn't say anything.

"You don't like Seamus that much anymore, do you?" he asked gently.

Annabelle thought of Harry, the butterflies, the smiles, the laughing…  
And then she thought of Seamus.

Annabelle couldn't believe she shook her head, in a response to saying "No."

* * *

Annabelle was following Hermione hurriedly into Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione was walking so fast, Annabelle was practically sprinting to keep up.

"He's perfectly fine to date whomever he wants," Hermione was saying, her nose in the air.

"It might not be a great decision, but it's his choice, and his consequences."

"Hermione – "

"I don't care, I really don't. In fact, I couldn't be less bothered."

"_Hermione_," Annabelle tried again.

They were in front of the classroom now.

"If he wants to have a stuck up snob as a girlfriend, then so be it."

They sat in their usual spots in the back of the classroom, and Snape stood in his usual spot, in front of the classroom.

Annabelle thought it was an accomplishment that she managed to make Hermione start talking again, but she's not so sure if that was a good idea any more. Hermione would not stop talking about the incident, and it hurt Annabelle to watch Hermione pretend it wasn't bothering her.

"Hermione, I was thinking, for the next Hogsmeade Trip… you and I go together shopping for dress robes?"

Hermione stopped jabbering, her mouth set into a thin line.

"Right," she said, just as Harry and Ron came to sit beside them. "Sure."

She didn't say anything else after that.

For the entire block, it was Harry and Annabelle who kept talking, trying to make peace between the two friends, but none of them budged. Except for Ron. He was trying really, really, hard.

"I like what you did with your hair Hermione. It looks nice today," Ron complimented timidly.

Funny he said it, because today was one of her bad hair days – her hair was so bushy it was unable to be put down.

She ignored that comment.

Things weren't going to be getting any better soon, Annabelle realized.

So the class went on _very _slowly, but twenty minutes before the class ended, Snape swayed to standing in front of everyone. The entire classroom went quiet.

"I'm afraid there's just been too much chattering in the classroom today, so I hope you don't mind if I assign you an extra lesson," he said smugly.

The class groaned.

"We are going to be learning how to perform non-verbal spells. In other words, spells that aren't said out loud but work all the same. This is a very difficult task, it requires a lot of work."

Everyone watched him expectantly.

"Miss Annabelle," Snape said, his eyes falling on her eerily. "I assume you won't mind when I ask you to come up for a demonstration?"

Annabelle cursed under her breath. Of course Snape would pick on her, the girl who cannot perform a single charm at all.

She grabbed her wand, as useless as it was to her, and walked up slowly to the front of the classroom, all eyes on her.

Snape was smiling, but it looked cold to Annabelle. She stood right in front of him, and prayed that a miracle would come and save her.

"I am going to curse a spell your way, and you're job is to reflect it, using _Protego_ – the shield charm."

Annabelle did everything she could from showing her nervousness to Snape.

"You do so by thinking of the word very hard – but it comes to different people in different ways."

Snape took a few steps back and raised his wand.

_Wait, what the heck was happening?_

A bolt of lightning escaped before Annabelle had time to react, and in the next moment she found herself hitting the wall painfully, landing wobbly on her feet.

The class gasped, and Snape's face was expressionless. Trying not to give him the satisfaction however, she regained her composure and ignored the massive headache that she just developed.

She stood up with a raised wand and blurry eyes. She couldn't concentrate one bit.

"Pathetic," Snape called. "How are you supposed to defend yourself if you're not even the least bit _ready_ for a curse?"

Annabelle didn't answer. She was too busy getting over the embarrassment of hurting herself in front of everyone.

"We'll try again, hopefully this time you'll do something instead of standing around," he jeered.

Once again he raised his wand, and all Annabelle could think of was her hate towards Snape. She's just been here four months, and it's enough to detest Snape with her whole life. All those times she's been humiliated…

The flash of golden white came at her again, and she expected another blow –

But it didn't hit her. It repelled against her skin, and instead flew right back at Snape who didn't have enough time to gather himself, and was hit by it instead, sending him at a nearby desk.

He crashed with a loud thud – a student screamed, and Annabelle could not believe what she had just done. Her wand didn't do anything, _it was all her._ Just like that night in the graveyard.

She glanced to the right to see Harry and Ron laughing, and throwing her thumbs up; but she was so confused.

When Snape stood up once again, he looked at her furiously.

"Thirty points from Gryffindor," he said loudly, and the entire class broke out into angry fits – except for the Slytherins.

Annabelle couldn't believe it – she did everything she was supposed to!

"I don't know what game you're playing, but if you try to curse a teacher like that again I will have you," he growled.

"She didn't do anything wrong!" someone called out.

"But sir," Annabelle said desperately. "I used the Shield Charm, just like you – "

"That was not a shield charm," he said through clenched teeth. "Shield Charms don't repel the spells, they simply protect you."

Annabelle opened her mouth, but Snape cut her off.

"If you wish to say anything else, then be sure that you will have detention with me until the New Year. If not, then please sit down like everyone else."

Annabelle wanted to strangle him, yell at him, do _something_. But she didn't want to spend more time with him than she had to, so she stubbornly walked over to where she was sitting, confusion but anger mixed in her head.


	26. Forbidden

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter. :( Everything is JK Rowling's, except Annabelle, of course.

THIS ONE IS A LONG ONE GUYS! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! All because I love you! AND YOU'RE REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO: Reyrayankar, spannieren, JainaZekk621, Leanora, kt . potter93, pixiestixz, hollowbastiongrl, Trogo, Yoooooo, and PinkGoingOnBlack!

You guys are amazing! Hope you enjoy :)

* * *

"Professor… Pro.. Dumble – dore," Annabelle panted, trying to regain her breath. After potions class, she ran straight to his office to ask about what happened. She was so confused her mind was a strange set emotions, and she was so glad that Dumbledore was in his room. For some reason, he isn't at Hogwarts everyday anymore.

"Anna," he said surprisingly. He was bent over some instrument, and straightened up when he saw her. "Is something wrong?"

Annabelle shook her head, gulping loudly. "I need to talk to you."

Dumbledore covered the instrument briskly, and then walked over to his desk. He gestured for Annabelle to sit on the other side, so she did.

Air finally returned into her lungs, and she was able to breathe normally again. Wow, she really had to start working out or something.

"What is it?" he asked gently, behind his half moon spectacles.

Annabelle didn't care if she got into trouble anymore, she decided to tell him about what happened on Halloween night.

"There was a night. Uhm, Harry and I sort of… snuck out of school grounds."

Dumbledore's face was expressionless, so with a deep breath, Annabelle kept going.

"We went to Godric's Hollow. To see his parents gravestones. When we were leaving, er, death eaters jumped us. Bellatrix was there."

"I know," he said gently, surprising Annabelle. But then she figured that heck, this is _Dumbledore _– only the greatest wizard in the world – so it'd be surprising if he _didn't_ know. Annabelle took a deep breath, and went on.

"She tried to curse Harry. He dodged the first one. The second one hit him, but it instantly repelled. But it wasn't like a shield charm because the spell went back and nearly hit her. And then one of the other death eaters turned on me and fired the same curse, but it _bounced off again_. However, the third time Bellatrix cursed it, it did hit Harry, and he was on the ground twitching painfully. It's like the spell disappeared. We weren't using Protego or anything."

"Your ability…." Dumbledore muttered quietly.

"And then just now, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, we were learning non-verbal spells. Snape called me to the front of the classroom, but I managed to repel it again! I don't get it Professor. Is it really me? How can I control it?"

Dumbledore bowed his head thoughtfully.

"How are your headaches, Anna?" he asked.

Annabelle was stunned by the question, but remembered something. She hasn't had a headache like that in the longest time, did that mean something?

"I'm not getting them often anymore," she said softly.

He nodded his head.

"Anna, I have no answers for you right now. But I do know how maybe we can expand your ability so you can know how to do it when you want to. As for now, I still have to think. I'll be calling you for meetings and we can work on it. First one will be sometime this month, okay?"

"Professor... what's wrong with me?" she whispered.

"Nothing's wrong with you," he said reassuringly. "You're just a very special child, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Annabelle wasn't sure if she wanted to believe him or not.

* * *

Annabelle had Quidditch practice scheduled that night, but in the end she decided not to go. She knew Harry and the team would probably be pretty pissed off, but in all honesty, she didn't really care anymore. She had just too much on her mind right now. All she really wanted to do was get away.

But of course, in Hogwarts, the farthest you could probably go to is Hagrid's Hut.

At first, Annabelle stayed to sticking in the library, but after a few dull minutes she went outside for a walk. It seemed like forever since she talked to Seamus, and that's not particularly good because she has no idea why.

Why, oh why did all the problems start when she hit Hogwarts? Wasn't she supposed to be having the time of her life?

As she walked along the grass and as far from the Quidditch pitch as possible, she couldn't stop thinking, but it wasn't present-problem thinking; it was future.

At the end of the year, after Draco does his stupid mission, Annabelle and him will run away. They'll run away far; to America if they even have to. They're not going to throw away their wands, just in case they get attacked, but they will be keeping a low profile. All until everything just ends. Annabelle can't let Draco die; she just can't even the bear thought of it – and in this type of situation, she and him had no other choice.

The problem was Voldemort. He'd find them, no problem, but would he waste that much time just to look for them? Probably not, they were worthless, really -

"Belle!" Draco called her name across the hallway.

"Hey Draco," she said, stopping to a halt. "Is something wrong?"

He came across towards her with a determined expression, and Annabelle knew he was angry. Whenever his eyebrows crossed that one single way, it gave him away. So Annabelle hoped for the best that he wasn't upset with her.

"We need to talk." His voice held no question.

Annabelle knew this wasn't going to end up pretty. He walked to a corner of the corridor, where not many people would notice them and much more, hear them.

She followed him until she was pressed against the wall with him in front of her, and Draco looked to the left and to the right.

He took a deep breath. "Belle, you can't hang around Potter anymore."

Annabelle didn't flinch.

"It was father's orders and you're still not listening to him. Now it's mine. I'll tell you one more time; you can't hang around Potter anymore."

Annabelle's anger returned to her so quickly it was unbelievable. Who was he to say who she can or cannot hang out with?

"Draco," she said evenly, not taking her eyes off his, "First of all, you are in no position to order me to do that. Second of all, it's my choice who I choose my friends to be."

"I'm your older brother," he said through clenched teeth. "I know what's best for you."

Annabelle laughed out loud without humour, before proceeding and continuously looking at his eyes – they were so cold, Annabelle felt herself shiver.

"Older than me by two minutes and forty seconds," she said. "And why do _you_ care? I understand dad, but you?"

"You just can't get close to him anymore Annabelle. Please," there was some desperation in his voice which caught Annabelle completely off guard. Why was he begging her? Why was he doing it _now_? She hung out with him before, but why was it bugging him now, right after the dinner?

And then the pieces fell together.

"You're doing it under orders, aren't you?" she hissed, her veins pulsing now. "Who set you up to do it?"

He didn't answer right away. If Annabelle didn't know better, she must have stumped him with how fast she figured that out. But it wasn't like it's not obvious.

"Dad? Bellatrix? Maybe _Voldemort_?" she prodded, her tone a little mocking.

Draco stiffened. "Don't dare use his name."

This shocked Annabelle, though she didn't show it. It was the final thing that led her to believe that Draco really had turned into one of them. Into a death eater.

"I'll use his name all I want," Annabelle replied crisply. She tried to walk away but Draco threw out his arms against the wall so that she was trapped in between them, his face inches away from her own.

Now she was really angry.

"Get away from me Draco," she said coldly.

"Stay away from Potter."

Annabelle could have punched him right there and then. "I can't believe you! What have they done to turn you into one of them? It never bothered you before this much! How did they convince you to get you on their side?"

"I've already been given death orders, Belle. You don't want to die too."

"Why do _you_ care? Just answer this for me!"

Draco hesitated. "I don't. The parents do."

Annabelle stomped her foot four times. She knew it wouldn't change anything, but she felt better releasing some of her anger towards the concrete floor.

"They won't know if you don't tell them," she said through gritted teeth.

"I don't want to. But Pansy or Blaise will if I don't."

"And then what?" she demanded.

Draco sighed and hung his head, then looked at her very seriously. "They're going to punish both of us if they find out you've been hanging around him, Belle. You're going to get punished for disobeying them, and I am too. Because I was to report to them if I caught you hanging around him. _You just can't_."

"What kind of punishment?" Annabelle asked, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"I don't know, Belle. But you can't see him. Not anymore."

Annabelle shook her head mildly. "I don't believe you. And I don't believe my twin brother would do that. You can't tell me if I can hang out with Harry or not."

She tried to push him off, but his grip was steady and he didn't move. She tried to get him off of her again, but he resisted, until she was so angry she kicked him in the gut. This behaviour wasn't unusual; Draco and she were always fighting. She must have punched him in the gut thousands of times. But today was different. Today was much more different.

"Annabelle!"

And what a joy it was to see Harry running down the hallway to her, she thought sarcastically.

She walked away from Draco and Harry caught up with her to walking alongside her. He seemed a little irritated, and Annabelle didn't know why.

"Where _were_ you at practice tonight?"

Oh, that's why.

"I wanted to practice the new plan but of course I couldn't, because _someone_ didn't show up!" he said accusingly.

"I'm sorry," Annabelle said, though she really wasn't. She felt changed. Usually she wouldn't be talking this way with Harry – much more _fighting_, but so much has been going on and Annabelle suddenly felt angry at him. It was his entire fault. All his stinking fault.

"Where were you?" he demanded.

Annabelle didn't understand why she was so calm. "I was taking a walk."

He looked at her incredulously. "Taking a walk? A _walk_, when there was Quidditch practice going on?"

Annabelle shrugged, as she continued walking up the staircase.

"What the hell is wrong with you? We have a game next month, _Annabelle._"

The way he said her name caused her to go off. She was so sick of everything.

"I know that, _Captain Potter_," she said, with as much venom as she could manage. It wasn't much though, so it seemed pathetic. "I'm just not as self-involved in Quidditch as you are!"

Harry froze, but Annabelle continued to walk. She was so tired.

Wasn't December supposed to be a "holly jolly" year? What's with all the stress and anger going on?

"At least I actually show some discipline and show up at practices. While you decide to go on a leisurely walk," he snarled.

"Well, I have problems in life I have to deal with," she retorted. "Quidditch isn't the only thing out there, is it?"

They were almost at the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Oh, so taking a walk will solve all of your problems?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

The Fat Lady looked at them in surprise, and without even asking for the password, she let them in.

Annabelle crawled into the hole, trying to get as far away from Harry as possible.

Something didn't feel right. She never fought with Harry. _Never._ What happened to start them off now?

"Is that all you have to say Annabelle? Is it? You missed Quidditch Practice for a walk?"

Annabelle's lips quivered, and she begged for the tears not to come on now. Ignore him Annabelle, just ignore him.

"Oh, I get it now. It was an _important _walk," he said, emphasizing the word. "Were you with Seamus?"

That did it.

In the next moment, all the anger and frustration she had towards everyone, to the world, went straight out of control. She whipped around, and Harry was right behind her looking at her if she's gone mad. Then she started to punch him, every little part of his torso, but it apparently wasn't too hard because Harry didn't even flinch. He just accepted each punch until Annabelle burst out crying, and then in the next moment, she was in his arms.

He was the most annoying boy she's ever met, and yet here she was, in the middle of the common room, hugging him.

His sweater smelled nice, fresh, and he gripped her lightly, probably very confused with her acting. His arms that were put around her felt so strong, so protective, Annabelle felt like she was going to faint in them.

Everything in her life was going wrong. She felt like he was the sole explanation for it, but then he makes it all right again.

Embarrassed, Annabelle pulled away quickly and hoped that the embrace wasn't as long as it felt for her. She glanced around the common room, but no one seemed to notice what just happened, and she thanked the Lord in her head quietly.

"Annabelle… are you all right?" Harry asked tentatively.

Annabelle's attention snapped back to Harry, and she found herself immersed in his beautiful green eyes. Cutting herself out of the trance, she nodded, then hastily wiped away any tears that were in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have had – "

"No," Annabelle said sadly. "I shouldn't have had missed Quidditch. I hope you're not too mad…" she looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

Harry looked at her with a somewhat amused smile before bursting out laughing. "Annabelle," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "I don't think I could ever be mad at you."

_Yes you can, _Annabelle thought miserably. _And you will. When you see the dark mark on my left arm._

* * *

Annabelle woke up that morning, feeling much more refreshed than she had in a long while. Thinking about what happened yesterday was embarrassing yet a comforting thought to hold. She was lucky that there were only about seven people in the common room at the time, so not many people had to see it. She was also lucky she broke away from Harry's hug just in time – because Seamus had walked in. If he saw her hugging Harry, he'd go crazy.

He saw her crying, however, and scooped her up in his arms making it a point for Harry to see him kissing her. And Harry sat through it all.

It was crazy how after all that, he didn't hold a grudge against her for skipping Quidditch. It was as if nothing happened, nothing at all.

Annabelle only had a few more days of school left before Christmas was here, and she was glad but nervous at the same time. Because she was going to have to return home, _again._

She got dressed and went downstairs, feeling like a lot better than she had in weeks. It was surprising because she barely got any sleep last night; she was too busy thinking of how much she hated her life. She had an appointment with Dumbledore before the night of the Cedric's Ball, and she was actually looking forward to it. She wanted to know why she couldn't produce magic, but can manage a shield charm just fine. It'd be great to master it, because then she could maybe protect herself and Draco from Voldemort – if it was strong enough.

Ron and Hermione were still not talking to each other, so it made telling them about her ability even harder. Lavendar was all over Ron and it seriously was getting disturbing to watch. Of course Annabelle didn't say anything, because by the looks of it, snogging made Ron happy. Even though it broke Hermione's heart by watching.

Annabelle was on a new mission as she walked down to the Great Hall. Neville _still_ didn't have a date to the Ball, despite how much more popular he's gotten. Sure, he's been asked by two or three girls, but he still has his eyes on Luna and would not get the guts to ask her out. So Annabelle was going to change that.

Just as she expected, Neville was in the Great Hall already, eating breakfast. For some strange reason, Neville had developed a knack of going down to breakfast at six each morning for school days, and Annabelle has yet to figure out why.

When she approached him, she saw his eyes over at the Ravenclaw table, staring at Luna, and suddenly she knew why.

"Hey Longbottom," she said jokingly, sitting beside him at the table.

"Hey... Anna, you never gave me your last name, have you?"

He was right of course. The only people who knew her last name were the teachers, Ron, and Hermione. She was downright lucky that they still called her by her first name, and not her last.

"Oh really? I thought I did," she said, hoping in a confused voice. "But I have to talk to you Neville."

Thankfully, he forgot about the last name situation.

"When are you going to ask Luna to the Cedric's Ball?" Annabelle whispered.

Neville retracted quickly and threw a grape at Annabelle's face. It hit her square on the nose, and she squealed when it did. What the heck?

"What was that for?" she demanded.

"Not too loud," he hissed, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone heard. Well, that's pathetic. Especially seeing as Annabelle _whispered _the question.

When he was satisfied that no one heard, her turned back to face Annabelle, tomato-red. This, Annabelle found a little amusing.

"When are you going to ask Harry to the Ball?" he retorted quietly, and grinned in accomplishment when he saw the reaction on Annabelle's face.

This time she threw the same grape, but it hit him in the cheek.

"Neville!" she said angrily. "I'm going with Seamus! What is it with you and the subject of Harry?"

"It's fun to watch you get all aggravated," he shrugged. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"I don't like him," Annabelle muttered.

Neville rolled his eyes. "What are you doing up so early, anyways?"

Annabelle grabbed some nearby waffles and placed them on her plate, regaining her smugness from before. She took her time placing all the necessary food on her plate, thinking about what she's going to say wisely. She peered over to her left and right and noticed that not many people were down at breakfast at 6:15 in the morning. So she winked at Neville, who stared at her with his eyebrows lifted, then walked over confidently to the Ravenclaw table.

Neville guessed right away what she was doing and he ran after her, grabbing her arm when she was almost right at Luna.

"No Anna, no!" he said, tugging her arm back.

Annabelle persisted, forcing him to be dragged up to Luna, who at this point, was looking at them quizzically.

"Hey Luna!" Annabelle shouted out, waving her free arm, and Neville finally resisted. He stood beside her awkwardly, knowing that running away from the scene would make him look like an idiot.

"Hello," Luna said in that dreamy tone. Today her hair was up in a ponytail, but it was tied up in the biggest ribbon Annabelle has seen in her life. She was still wearing radish earrings, and Annabelle couldn't help but think how cute it was for him to like Luna.

"May we sit with you?" Annabelle asked, gesturing to herself and Neville.

Luna didn't seem to think twice about it as she resumed looking an upside down magazine and shrugged, "Sure."

Gratefully, Annabelle sat down from across from Luna, with Neville sitting beside her. It was awkward for a few moments, until Luna broke the silence.

"Did you know Hinkypuffs are eating with us at this very moment? I swear there was a loaf of bread there just a second ago," she said, pointing to an area on the table. Annabelle nodded earnestly, for Luna's sake, and Neville was slowly turning green.

"That's... cool," Annabelle said, failing to think of any better adjective. She was going to burst out asking Luna about the Cedric's Ball, but she wanted Neville to face his fears. So she vowed she'd stay here until Neville made a move.

"I miss the DA," Luna said suddenly, looking straight at Neville. "Being in the club... it made me feel very brave."

Neville looked down at his hands. "Me too," he muttered.

"I heard about that," Annabelle said, stepping in. "Dumbeldore's Army, right?"

Luna nodded happily. "I made so many friends, and I still talk to most of them today!"

Annabelle smiled, though it was out of reaction. She actually felt so sorry for Luna. She wondered how it would be like living in Hogwarts completely alone for an entire year. She bet it wouldn't be too pleasant.

Suddenly a group of Ravenclaw girls passed Luna, giggling loudly.

"Hello _Looooony_," one of them said, and they all stopped behind Luna. They glanced pointedly at the magazine in her hands. "What, your dad still owns that thing?"

Luna said nothing.

"We'd think he'd be submitted into a mental hospital already or something," one of them said in a shrill, high-pitched voice.

In the next second Annabelle found herself standing up reaching in her pocket for her wand; but it wasn't there. So she raised her fists ready just in case. Neville wasn't even a second late – he was doing the same thing, except looking _way_ more pissed off than Annabelle probably did.

Annabelle didn't even know this group of Ravenclaws, but after their remark, she figured she knew them long enough.

"Offend Luna's dad again, and you'll be the one placed in a mental hospital," Neville said through his clenched teeth. Annabelle realized Luna and Neville held something in common; It wasn't easy for them to stand up and defend themselves. Both of them needed a lot of courage to do that. If Neville and Luna one day got together, Annabelle hoped he'd teach her that.

The girls looked completely caught off guard by Neville's acting. Who wouldn't? Boys aren't supposed to say anything like that to girls. They tried to regain their composure by throwing there noses up high in the air and scoffing as they continued walking down the hall. When they were out of earshot, they started to talk animatedly, probably trashing Neville.

Neville sat down looking satisfied yet quite astonished at what he did. Annabelle did the same, staring glumly at the food and packing a lot of eggs on her plate. This already was turning out to be a bad day.

"You didn't have to do that," Luna spoke up. "I was fine on my own. Really."

Neville didn't look convinced, but he remained silent and resumed playing with his fork nervously.

"Yeah, but what would friends be for, if they weren't there to back you up?" Annabelle said kindly.

Luna looked at Annabelle with a renewed respect for her, and smiled slightly.

"Luna," Neville said suddenly, putting down his fork. "Can I ask you something?"

Finally, the moment had arrived. Annabelle stood up so quickly she accidentally spilled her pumpkin juice all over her robes and on the table. Bewildered, Neville took out his wand to clean up the mess and stared at Annabelle in confusion of her foolish acting. Luna couldn't have been less bothered; her eyes regained the dreaminess, and she was staring at the ceiling with a distant smile.

"Whoah, Annabelle, how'd you manage to do that?" someone asked, coming up from behind her. Annabelle beamed when she realised it was Harry. He grinned slyly.

"Harry! I was just going to go look for you! We have to discuss… er… discuss…." Annabelle looked at Harry imploringly, and Neville raised his eyebrow.

"Discuss what?"

"Quidditch! There were go!" Annabelle said suddenly, grabbing his arm as she steered him out of the Hall. "The plays are.. uhm – "

She trailed off as she looked behind her shoulder to see Neville watching her knowingly, shaking his head slightly at her acting.

"_Ask her!_" Annabelle mouthed.

When Harry and Annabelle got out of the Great Hall, she spun around and diverted herself to the corner of the doors, where she can peak through the crack and see Neville and Luna perfectly.

"Annabelle, _what are you doing_?" Harry asked loudly standing behind her.

She ignored him, and kept her eyes on Neville when he said something to Luna. Luna blushed and then slowly – to Annabelle's amazement – nodded her head.

"YES!" she shouted, backing away.

"What – "

"He asked her Harry!" she said cheerfully, having trouble containing her energy. "He asked her! He asked her!"

As well as confusion, Harry was starting to worry about Annabelle. "Ask who what?"

"Neville! Luna! He asked her to the ball! She said yes!"

Suddenly Harry relaxed and he couldn't help but smile at the beautiful girl who has helped Neville so much, and was more excited for him than she was when Seamus asked her.


	27. Fluffed Out Pigeon

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, everything is JK Rowling's. (Except Annabelle! :])

Quick note, the christmas chapter is very very sooon, and expect to see lots of arguments and fighting in the next few chapters. :) [I LOVE WRITING FIGHT SCENES AND STUFF!] Saying this, there will be a small argument in this one too :) Guess who? Can't tell you now, I'll spoil it for you!

Thanks to the wonderful, beautiful, amazing, awesome, lovely, perfect, and EXTRAORDINARY REVIEWERS: Mask with a truth, Leanora, Sakura Bontecou Kobayashi, spannieren, hollowbastiongrl, PinkGoingOnBlack, JainaZekk621, angelfire11120022000, and Yooooo! Love you guys!

* * *

Annabelle had enough of it.

Of Ron and Hermoine's ridiculous fighting.

She and Harry were walking back from Transfiguration class, after a teared up Hermione ran out at the bell, leaving all her stuff behind. They both took it to give back to her, but they had no clue where to find her. Annabelle suggested the common room, but Harry found that idea stupid, so they ended up walking towards the girls washroom. Which was a pretty good thoughtful assumption, and Annabelle couldn't believe she didn't think of it. Of course Hermione would run to the washrooms – she was _crying_. She wouldn't want anyone to see that.

"This is getting really annoying," Harry muttered as they made their way up the stairs.

Annabelle nodded. "It really is."

In Transfiguration class, Hermione had laughed unpleasantly at Ron's failed attempt to change the color of his eyebrows. In exchange, he imitated her acting in a classroom – but it really was overdone. He's raised his hand up every other minute with an eager expression on his face, and he was really jumpy in his chair. And that was what set Hermione off.

"I'm glad I have you here, though," Harry said honestly. "Before, when they'd fight, I'd always be torn on which side to take, and how to act."

"You don't have to take sides, Harry," Annabelle said.

Harry shrugged. "I tried not to. It's just bloody irritating when you're a third person stuck in a fight. You know what I mean?"

As he cast a sideways look at her, she smiled a little inwardly. A memory just faded in her mind. It was of one when she was little; perhaps seven, and Draco and Connor were fighting. Both of them would try to take her on their side, and Annabelle enjoyed the attention.

She sighed as they got off the moving staircase. Life just seems to be getting harder by each day.

As she walked on with Harry, she passed by Draco and his gang. All of them were glaring at her, but Annabelle's eyes were just on Draco. He had his eyebrows raised and a pointed and disgusted expression plastered on his face. Her eyes just couldn't get torn away.

"Is purple the new "in", Potter?" called out Draco as they were almost out of eyesight. "Been looking at the women magazines, I suppose?"

Harry still had a bit of purple in his eyebrow from the class, since he hadn't had time to wash it away. To Annabelle's relief, he ignored Draco's comment and kept on walking, with Annabelle beside him.

"It suits you very well," Draco persisted, his stupid gang snickering. "I'm sure all the ladies are after you."

"Ignore it Harry," Annabelle whispered, as she felt Harry stiffen. "Keep walking, just – "

"But Annabelle, Potter? I'm sure you can do much better."

_Ouch_.

Annabelle didn't want to give Draco a satisfaction by appearing moved by the comment. But it was hard, and despite Annabelle's hardest efforts, tears were stinging her eyes. This was her twin brother. Draco. Her family. And all she felt coming from him was hate.

"Lay off Malfoy," Harry snarled.

Draco smirked, walking closer to the both of them, his pack of friends behind them. They were so close now. Annabelle wondered what Draco will tell the parents.

"Pulled a nerve?" He asked slyly, leaning against the wall confidently. "Have I done something – "

"Get out of here, Draco," Annabelle said through gritted teeth. She was honestly getting enough of the git. And he called her his sister.

Draco's eyes flashed to Annabelle's quickly, disappointment and anger all evident in the one look. "Give me one reason why," he said, clenching his teeth.

She straightened, hoping to appear as tough as she really felt.

"Because you're acting mean. You're acting idiotic." She paused, wondering if she should say what she was thinking. It was cruel, but she had enough of his ways. "You're acting exactly like one of _them_."

His eyes widened, and she was inwardly glad at the reaction received. She didn't, however, move her eyes away from his. After a few seconds of _very_ awkward silence, Draco stepped closer to her, so his mouth was almost right at her ear.

"I'm sending an owl tonight," he hissed in her ear. It tickled and for some crazy reason wanted to make her laugh – but she resisted the urge. "Don't expect your wonderful little life to get any easier from this point."

And just as swiftly, just as quickly, he and his friends were gone.

Annabelle slumped against the wall, letting a big, deep, and stressful breath out of her system.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go find Hermione."

* * *

"No way."

"You're kidding, right?"

Annabelle had a dress on. But it wasn't just any dress; it was her dress for the Cedric's Ball. It was a dress that she received from Seamus earlier, as a present.

It was also the most hideous dress she has ever seen.

"You guys, this is not helping," she clenched through her teeth, trying to block out Ron and Harry's stupid remarks.

It was the middle of a Saturday, and Annabelle found herself in the common room with only Ron, Harry, and Hermione. All the other Gryffindors were gone to Hogsmeade – as it was the second to last Hogsmeade Trip before the Yule Ball. Hermione and Annabelle were planning to go together too, but that was before Seamus brought Annabelle the huge "present" that held her dress.

The dress wasn't that ugly – if someone was trying to resemble a fluffed out seagull. It was ENOURMOUS and made Annabelle look like she was the bride of some wedding. Nevertheless, it looked horrible on Annabelle.

"I'm sure we can do a few little things to tame it," Hermione said thoughtfully. She was circling Annabelle with her chin propped by her hand, deep in thought.

"Like what? She'll still look like a Pigeon either way," Ron said jokingly from the corner, which caused him and Harry to set off into laughter again.

Annabelle's head snapped in his direction, glaring coldly. "Still have that dress robe from your Aunt, Ron? Heard it made you look like a – "

"Annabelle," Hermione interrupted, sighing loudly. Annabelle's head snapped back, this time much more unwillingly. She knew she shouldn't say anything mean, but gosh was Ron getting on her nerves.

The boy's laughter was getting even louder.

"What then," Annabelle said, closing her eyes and pretending Ron and Harry didn't exist. "What do you think we should do to it?"

Hermione examined the dress a little more closely. "Well, we can cut off the lace here." She grabbed a rather thick portion of Annabelle's dress, feeling it slowly. "And then the beads here could – "

The portrait door swung open, and all four of them jumped in surprise. The biggest shocker was, however, seeing Seamus come out of the hole.

Hermione dropped Annabelle's dress immediately.

"Bee!" Seamus exclaimed, surprised that she was wearing the dress. "You look beautiful! I knew I chose the perfect dress!"

Annabelle heard Ron snort in the corner.

"Yeah," she lied weakly. "It's gorgeous."

He came across the room, but stopped only two feet in front of her. Annabelle was completely taken aback, when she saw the sparkling sheet of tears in his eyes.

"Seamus?" she asked uneasily, taking a step forward. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head, laughing, and took her in his arms. The common room was suddenly very quiet.

"I can't believe how lucky I am to have a beautiful girlfriend like you," he murmured in her hair, holding her close. "I love you."

Annabelle felt Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's eyes burning into her back like hot metal. She felt her throat compress as she struggled to say out loud those three words, too; In front of her friends. But she wasn't sure if she could.

"The dress is beautiful Seamus," she lied again, but she tried to sound as sincere as possible. "Thank you."

The words must have done enough to make him happy, because he quickly kissed her on the cheek, and backed away.

"I'm going to go eat lunch," he told her. "Join me later?"

Annabelle nodded, not trusting her voice.

He blew her one last kiss, before smiling and stepping out of the common room.

* * *

Thankfully, Hermione managed to fix the dress to make it look somehow normal. It was barely fluffy, and it actually looked pretty good on her. The white silk was tight on her torso, but then it plummeted down in nice wrinkles.

Annabelle was worried about what Seamus would say, but when he saw her he didn't even mind. He said he liked it even better, which made Annabelle happy.

Three days until the Cedric ball. Tomorrow night Annabelle would have her meeting with Dumbledore – which she was strongly looking forward too, but was nervous to find out what was going on. Today was the last Hogsmeade Trip before the Cedric's Ball, and Seamus unfortunately was stuck in detention with Professor Flitwick. In some mingled way, Annabelle felt relieved and excited to spend a day with Ron, Harry, and Hermione without the presence of Seamus. She wasn't sure how smooth the day would go, especially seeing as Ron and Hermione are still in that stupid fight, but at least Seamus wasn't there. At least she got to spend some time with her friends.

She was going to ask Neville if he wanted to go with her, but that was before she found out that he already had asked Luna. Neville is still acting a little shy around her, but it has been getting a lot better. Lately, he's been walking her to her classes, and sometimes even sitting at the Ravenclaw table to join her. He's been really happy, too.

"Anna, you ready?" Hermione asked, standing in front of the dormitory door.

Annabelle put down her brush and grabbed a bag from her bed, stowing a few coins in there just in case.

"What kind of dress are you looking for, Hermione?" she asked as she joined Hermione and started walking down the stairs with her.

Hermione took a long time to answer, so Annabelle glanced up at her to see why. She followed Hermione's eyes until her own landed on Lavender and Ron. They were both dressed really warmly and were standing beside a tortured Harry who would pointedly examine the floor or any other spot in the room as to not see them kissing.

"Please, please don't tell me Ron's invited Lavender," Annabelle groaned.

"Anna," Hermione said softly. "I don't think I want to go if she's going to be coming. I – er, don't really want to be around her when I don't have to."

"Don't be ridiculous Hermione," Annabelle said at once. "You _need_ a dress for the Ball. This is your only chance to get one!"

Hermione looked seriously unconvinced.

"All right, let's just go together, okay? We don't have to go with Ron and Lavender," Annabelle told her.

Realizing they were blocking the stairway, Hermione nodded and walked down the stairs with Annabelle trailing behind her. As Harry's eyes moved everywhere but at Ron and Lavendar, he spotted Annabelle and grinned.

Hermione walked right up to Harry and stood beside him, deliberately ignoring Ron. She had her arms crossed as she whispered something to Harry, with Ron straining his ear to listen. When he knew Hermione wouldn't let him hear a word, he turned to smile at Annabelle, except it looked way too forced.

"Ready to go, Anna?" he called.

Annabelle shrugged. "Uhm, yeah, I guess."

"Annabelle and I are going alone," Hermione spoke, without looking at Ron. "I expect you'll be too busy with Lav-Lav to pay any attention to us," she said with venom in her voice. She glared at Lavender.

Ron turned a bright pink. "For your information, he didn't want to go with you anyways," Lavender said loudly, and Annabelle felt the eyes of the people in the common room suddenly turn on them. Harry was looking just as confused as she felt.

"Oh, you two _talk_?" Hermione bit back, her tone mockingly surprised. "I'm shocked; all I ever see you two do is snog everywhere!"

"Hermione – " Ron began wearily, but he couldn't finish because just then Lavendar cried out in laughter. The noise echoed along the walls, and all of a sudden it was very, very quiet in the common room.

"I get it, you're jealous! Jealous that_ you_ don't have anyone to kiss; Jealous that you don't have a boyfriend; _Jealous that no one in their right mind would date a bushy haired freak like you!_" Lavendar shouted.

Hermione looked stricken, and had her mouth open but with nothing coming out. Annabelle, however, was infuriated.

"That's enough!" she cried walking over to Hermione.

She glanced at Ron, but he too, looked too shocked to say anything.

"Get out of here, Lavender," Annabelle said angrily.

Lavender bit back a response and scoffed. She threw her nose in the air and started to walk out of the portrait hole. Halfway through, she said, "Come on, Won-Won."

Annabelle looked at Ron, who seemed to be having an inner battle deciding what to do. The common room started to get a little more louder as the people noticed the argument had ended, and Lavender stood by the portrait door, hands on her hips, waiting.

Hermione looked close to tears as she watched Ron decide. It seemed like such a silly little thing, deciding to stay in the common room or go out with Lavender, but everyone knew that it meant a great deal. It meant whose side Ron is officially on.

"You're going to follow her, Ron?" Annabelle said quietly, so only the trio could hear. "After what she called Hermione?"

Ron looked up at Annabelle's icy eyes, and for a moment, just one second, Annabelle thought that he'd stay. That Lavender would run off crying, and Hermione would jump in his arms and everything would be okay again.

Ron turned on his heel and walked after Lavender. Just passing Hermione, he said, "I don't snog with her _all_ the time, you know."

And then the portrait door closed.

"Hermione – " she and Harry said at the same time, except both couldn't continue it because they had no idea what to say.

Hermione succumbed, in the middle of the common room, and started to cry on Harry.

"I'll take her to our dormitory," Annabelle told Harry, as once again, they regained the people's attention in the common room.

"And leave me here alone? No thanks. Let's take her to mine, boys can't walk up the stairs of the girls dormitory anyway," Harry suggested, helping Hermione walk up the boys stairs.

Once they got inside, Hermione threw herself on Harry's bed and sobbed into a pillow. Annabelle sat beside her, stroking her hair gently. Harry hastily offered her some chocolate frogs that he found, looking unsure.

After a few long minutes, Hermione got up and wiped her eyes. She looked terrible.

"You go on without me," Hermione hiccupped. "I don't really feel like going anyways."

"Hermione, your dress – " Annabelle began.

"Can you just get it for me?" Hermione asked, looking at Annabelle straight in the eyes. There was a fresh coat of tears that have not yet splurged out of her eyes yet, and Hermione looked so humble, so weak, Annabelle did not know how to say "no."

"I-I don't know what you'd like, your size – "

Hermione blew her nose in a napkin Harry offered. "There's this dress that I saw in Witch Weekly that I think would look good," she said, then hesitated. "I have the magazine in our dormitory. It's tagged – heck, let's just go there right now."

She got up from Harry's bed and started to walk towards the girls dormitories. Annabelle stayed behind for a few seconds, to see what Harry wanted to say to this.

"Do you still want to go?" she asked quietly.

Harry laughed. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea. If your boyfriend sees that you were alone with me, he might have a heart attack." He tried to pass his tone as serious, but Annabelle knew he was joking.

"I have to get Hermione's dress anyways," she said dismissively, walking to the door. "So it's up to you, that is, if you want to go with just me." She stopped to look at him hopefully.

Harry's complexion brightened. "Of course I want to go with you!"

Annabelle smiled, her stomach erupting with butterflies but her insides feeling suddenly warm. "All right, I'll meet you in the common room, okay?"

Harry nodded and grinned.


	28. Hogsmeade Date

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It sucks!

I am SO SO sorry I havent updated in F.O.R.E.V.E.R! I'd like to dedicate this chapter (sorry for how short it is!) to hollowbastiongrl who, with her message and her cyber cookies, kept me going! :P I'll update soon, I promise! And a promise is a promise!

Thanks to the reviewers: JainiaZekk621, pixiestixz, Leanora, kt . potter93, PinkGoingOnBlack, TheNeonSquirrel, Carma09, asifyouknow, Pelahnar, BellaCullen2312, and Me!

I think I'm going to start replying to reviews because for some reason, I never do! Not that I don't appreciate it 100%, I just never really gave much thought to it before!

Enjoy!

Harry and Annabelle were only in Hogsmeade for forty two minutes but they already managed to get all their shopping done. Harry got some Christmas presents for his friends and so did Annabelle, but most importantly – they successfully retrieved Hermione's dress.

"Hey Annabelle, you haven't seen the shrieking shack yet, have you?" Harry asked while they were walking down the main street. As Annabelle thought of all the time's she went to Hogsmeade, she couldn't quite remember ever seeing a "shrieking shack."

"Is that some sort of restaurant?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too stupid.

Harry laughed shortly. "No, it's actually just a random house, really. But it's the place I found out that Sirius was my godfather."

His response was short, and his tone sounded indifferent – natural, even – but that's what made Annabelle realize that Harry is still in pain after losing his godfather.

"How was he like, Harry?" she asked calmly, as he led her down a series of streets.

"He was – well, let's just say one of the most amazing men I knew."

"I bet he was a troublemaker," Annabelle smiled. "Like your dad."

Harry's face also broke into a calm smile, and he looked straight ahead as he said, "He was. He and my dad always were in detention when they were in Hogwarts. It's kind of nice to think about it, you know?" he said, turning towards Annabelle.

She nodded.

They continued to walk in silence until they reached a fence, and then in the distance Annabelle saw an old house that seemed to be breaking down – but it had some sort of beauty in it.

She looked at it appreciatively and thought of all the times Harry probably stood here, just thinking about Sirius. She wondered about the pain he was put in after losing all of his family – and in a way, Harry really had no one. His entire family was gone, and the Dursleys don't count because he told her about how cruel they've been to him.

So silently and carefully, she placed her hand in his. He flinched a little at the touch, and Annabelle was about to immediately pull away in regret – but then he returned the pressure. Annabelle was blushing furiously, and she was so hot she felt she was melting all the snow around her.

After a few minutes passed, Harry started to turn around and let go of Annabelle's hand. She followed him away from the shrieking shack, trudging deep marks into the snow.

"Butterbeer?" Annabelle asked.

Harry's looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Of course," he smiled.

A few more minutes passed and slowly, Annabelle started to feel more uncomfortable.

"Anna, tell me about yourself. You know so much about me, and I feel like I know nothing about you," Harry said softly as they were nearing the town.

Annabelle sighed. "I don't think you want to know about me."

"What are your parents like?"

Annabelle thought viciously whether or not she should answer his question. What should she say? If she were to tell him the truth, she'd have to be careful so that it's not the full truth and so he wouldn't find out anything. But she didn't want to lie to Harry, either.

"I know my mom would try her best to do anything to make me happy, and I know that she loves me and my brother very, very much." Well, she thought, this _could_ be classified as the truth.

"You have a brother?" Harry asked, sounding surprised.

Oh shoot. Did Annabelle mention a brother?

"Uhm – yes," she said hastily. "But we're in a really big argument right now and I'm sort of tired of him."

"An argument? Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked sincerely. They were entering the Three Broomsticks now, and he held open the door for her as she went inside.

Annabelle felt her hands get clammy and her insides get hot. How was she supposed to be truthful to Harry without being completely truthful but without lying too?

"He has different views than I do," she said, catching his eye. "_Really_ different."

"Like views on education? Law? Friendship?"

Annabelle blew out a deep breath. "Views like in – he supports Voldemort."

Harry's eyes went big but then he quickly tried to cover it up by coughing – which Annabelle didn't really understand. He looked a little confused as he tried to make out the next words, but when a waitress came he stopped. Annabelle had to control herself from rolling her eyes when she noticed it was the same waitress that was ogling Harry the last time they were here with Seamus, Hermione, and Ron.

What made her even more infuriated was that she was doing it again.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked sweetly to Harry, who seemed lost in thoughts.

When Harry didn't respond, Annabelle quickly piped in. "Two butterbeers," she said swiftly. She didn't even add "please" which gave her a weird sort of satisfaction.

The lady wrote that down on a pad and then smiled – which seemed extremely fake.

"Anything else?"

Annabelle shook her head, but the waitress was too busy staring at Harry to notice. Annabelle was about to tell her to leave, when the waitress spoke to Harry, "Hey, are you all right?"

She gingerly put her hand on Harry's shoulder, which got Harry's attention and he looked up at her.

"I'm fine, thanks," he smiled politely. Annabelle wasn't sure if he enjoyed the attention or not.

"I'm here all the time if you need to talk," the lady pursued. "My name is Ellen."

"I'm Ha – "

"Oh I think someone's calling you Ellen," Annabelle butt in, her insides screaming. "Someone far over there." She pointed to the other side of the restaurant.

Ellen followed Annabelle's gaze but looked a little confused when no one seemed to be paying attention to her. But she listened to Annabelle, winked at Harry, and strolled over to the other side, with Annabelle making rude faces behind her back.

Unfortunately, when Harry turned around, he managed to see a bit and laughed at the expression on Annabelle's face. She turned a deep red, and looked down at the table.

"I have a feeling that you don't like her very much," he said, trying to sound serious but secretly laughing.

"And I have a feeling that you quite enjoy being fancied by older girls," she bit back.

This caused Harry to laugh even more, and Annabelle was about to say something when she caught a glimpse of Draco hidden behind a big shelf whispering fervently to a girl form of Goyle.

He had some sort of package in his hands and passed it to Goyle, who nodded and took it heading towards the girls bathroom. Annabelle continued to watch quizzically as Goyle entered the bathroom with a package, but came out empty handed.

A moment later she saw Katie Bell walk into the washroom with her friend, but this time _she_ was the one who came back with the package.

Annabelle, completely baffled by this whole scenario was about to drop it because it made no sense – but then she saw Draco, with his wand out, whispering to himself. Katie was leaving the restaurant, and as she passed Annabelle and Harry her eyes were unfocused and unclear – and they looked nothing like her own.

And then it all made sense.

"Excuse me Harry," she said, immediately standing up and rushing over to where Draco stood. When he saw Annabelle coming towards him, he whispered a few last words and then put the wand down, waiting for her to approach.

"What was that?" she demanded, as she reached him and the girl version of Goyle.

Draco shrugged. "Nothing."

He began to turn away but Annabelle caught hold of his arm and wouldn't let go.

"What did you just give Katie, Draco?" she said with dread, hoping it wasn't anything to do with Dumbledore's death.

Draco didn't look at Annabelle, but slightly turned his head when he said, "A necklace."

"A necklace for Katie or a necklace for Dumbledore?" Annabelle said impatiently.

Draco went rigid, and that's enough to prove the right answer to Annabelle.

"What is it?" Annabelle whispered. "Is it cursed, or – "

"It's none of your business Belle," he said, jerking free from Annabelle and walking away from her. "All you need to know is that it will fulfill the mission."

Which meant that somehow that necklace will kill Dumbledore.

"But what if _she_ touches it?" she asked desperately.

Draco waved his hand as if it weren't important. "She won't," he said simply.

When Draco left the restaurant, Annabelle uneasily walked back to Harry, who looked up and smiled warmly, and she sat down, her mind working.

She watched Katie go from the window and kept watching to make _sure_ Katie did not touch it. But would Annabelle be okay with Dumbledore touching it?

A moment later, Katie and her friend stopped at some corner between stores and started examining the package. With dread, Annabelle realized they were slowly opening it.

Once again, Annabelle stood right up, surprising Harry. "Anna – what's – "

"We have to go, now now now!" she said hurriedly as she ran out of the restaurant with eyes following her from all directions. She knew Harry was behind her from the sound of his footprints.

"Katie!" she yelled, running towards her as fast as she could. But it's as if her yell was oblivious, because Katie was still tearing the package. "Katie!" she yelled again, desperately trying to get her attention.

Too late.

Katie flew in the air screaming, jerking from all sides and her friend stood on the ground completely shocked.

"Katie!" Annabelle heard Harry yell worryingly behind her. Both of them rushed over to her as Katie continued to jerk, scream, and fly in the air in pain.

As Harry knelt before Katie, holding her down and trying to calm her – which wasn't a success at all – Annabelle was calling for help. Hagrid, who seemed to hear her came rushing in and quickly grabbed Katie, rushing her to the Hospital Wing. Which left the necklace and Katie's friend. As Harry leant down to grab it, Annabelle quickly said, "Don't touch it."

Harry was more confused than ever, but caught Annabelle's eye with misunderstanding. He searched her face, trying to get an answer out of how she knew what Katie was about to touch.

Annabelle stood speechless, her cheeks red, her heart beating rapidly.

A few minutes later McGonagall approached them, with tired creases under her eyes but with a determined expression on her face. She bent down to see the necklace wordlessly, and then with magic, levitated it into the air.

"You three, come with me," she said, pointing at Katie's friend, Harry and Annabelle.


	29. Girl of Lies

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter :(

HI EVERYONE! I am so so sorry for the lack of updating, I'm seriously having a HUGE writers block with this story! :P But this chapter is long, so I hope you guys can forgive me! Not to mention that it's extremely eventful, and it might make you guys either: a) like the story even more or b) make you hate it like crazy and never read it again.

MUAHAHA we'll see what you guys say in the reviews! :) OH btw, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL THOSE IN CANADA (I live in Canada, but because I'm Polish we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving either. So we have no turkey, no pumpkin pie, but we have _chicken_. I know, what the heck right?) OH AND uh.. :$ I just wanted to say that in 4 days I AM TURNING SIXTEEN! In my opinion, age 16 - 26 are the best years of your life and uh.. I'm starting mine on Oct 14 :D IM SO EXCITED HOLY COW) I talk to much. Shutting up.

Thanks to my lovely and wonderful reviewers: Pelahnar, kt . potter93, BlackRoseRed92, BellaCullen2312, JainaZekk621, supernaturalobbsessed, XritaskeeterhatersX, hollowbastiongrl, and Leonora! I love you guys :D

(Could we - maybe, please... hehe, reach 200 with this chapter? :) It'd be the best bday gift ever!)

* * *

Annabelle was lying in her bed, unable to sleep, consumed by her thoughts.

She and Harry returned from McGonogall's office hours earlier, both worried about Katie, but Annabelle was severely worried about something else.

In the office, Harry mentioned to McGonogall that he thought it was Draco who did the attack. McGonogall obviously didn't believe him, but it was as if Annabelle suddenly swallowed a heavy rock, and her stomach dropped a mile. She had no idea what had started these suspicions of Harry, and had no idea how he was absolutely right. Terrified and full of fear for her family and Draco, she did something she will regret forever.

She lied to Harry.

She told him all about her "wonderful" family, how she and her brother were muggleborns. How her brother was 21, but she hadn't heard from him since their last argument when he stated he supported Voldemort. She said how disgusted her family was and how Annabelle has no idea where he is now. How she only started to going to Hogwarts this year because her parents had her transferred from Beauxbatons to be under the protection of Dumbledore.

"Do you miss him – your brother, I mean," Harry had asked, his voice full of concern and warmth.

Annabelle's heart was breaking more and more at how easily Harry believed her lies.

"Yes, a little," she said, biting her lip so hard it was threatening to bleed. "But can we just, drop the topic please? I just… I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Harry nodded in understanding, thanked her for being honest, and resumed being the Harry Annabelle was in love with.

And she hated, hated, hated herself on so many levels it was unbelievable.

* * *

_Annabelle,_

_This is the second time we've been informed that you have been hanging around Potter. Because of your thoughtless actions, your mother and I have decided that you will NOT be going to the Cedric's Ball with the Finnigan boy. (Yes, your brother mentioned him, too.) We think it is best you don't associate with Gryffindors at all. Saying that, you will have to be around the Slytherins more. _

_Don't try to go to the ball with Finnigan, Annabelle. Your brother will keep us posted should you decide to disobey us. If you wish, however, you may go to the ball with Blaise. He's a generally nice boy, and we wouldn't have a problem with him._

_This is the second strike, Annabelle. If we hear about you hanging around Potter one more time, you will be taken away from Hogwarts for good, and you will be stuck at home once again. And once you're a death eater, you won't have any freedom at all. Surely you do not wish that upon yourself.._

_This is your last chance. Stay away from him._

_Yours truly,_

_Dad._

"So you've got the letter."

Annabelle spun around with the piece of parchment in her hands, and could not believe that her brother was standing in front of the door to the Owlery, without a trace of guilt or condolence.

She could feel herself start to shake. More than anything, right now, she wanted to punch the smirk off his face and hope he looked disfigured from then on.

Calm down Annabelle, she thought, taking soothing breaths. Don't lose it, it's going to be okay just listen to your –

All right. She lost it.

"How could you?" she yelled. "How could you even call yourself my brother, you, you-"

"Annabelle, calm down," he said swiftly, coming up to face her. "It's for the – "

"It's _not!_" she shrieked, throwing the paper at him. "It's not for the best. Don't you get it? I'm not like _you_."

This stopped Draco for a second, and it's as if all emotion left his body. Annabelle wasn't sure if this was a good thing, or a bad thing, but in all truth, she didn't care. She wanted to hurt him, _so badly._

"What am I like, Belle?" he asked quietly.

Her body was quivering, her insides were shaking… an earthquake was bellowing within her body. It was only a matter of time before everything that used to matter will be destroyed, just like an earthquake destroying a town.

She inhaled a shuddering breath, and only then noticed the stinging in her eyes.

"Like them," she said forcefully, and as clearly as she could manage. "Like death eaters." She paused. "Like Voldemort."

He shook his head, almost as in exasperation. "Belle, I'm going to be a death eater. And so are you. We're destined to be followers of the Dark Lord, don't you get it?"

"No! I don't get it!" Annabelle yelled, her rage coming back to her instantly. Life wasn't fair. This was just _not fair_. "We're not destined to do anything – "

"Unless you want to be murdered."

Annabelle looked up into the identical colored eyes her brother had. She didn't feel love. She didn't know what she felt. Except for that urge to punch him in the gut right now.

"You're saying… that you'd rather live, be one of them… than die being who you really are?" She whispered weakly.

Draco grimaced. "Don't you understand?" he asked, his voice slightly annoyed. "There is no choice!"

"There always is Draco!" Annabelle cried, wiping the tears from her eyes hastily. She had to be brave right now. She just had to. "You can say either yes or no and – "

"If I say no, I'll be dead two seconds after!" he hissed. "We can never win!"

Annabelle spun around, angling her face so she wouldn't have to see his ugly one. She hated him. _Hated_.

"We can run away," she told him, her voice wobbly, "We can run away together. We don't have to live this life. We can go live in America and – "

"And live under cover and in hiding forever?" Draco supplied for her, and now he sounded pissed off. "What kind of life is that?"

"A life that doesn't involve murder!" Annabelle shrieked, and her voice echoed off the Owlery walls. She hoped to God no one was in here.

"I just can't Belle. This is it. We have no choice."

Annabelle turned around, her arms crossed and tears literally threatening to break through – and she knew if she allowed herself to cry for a second, she'd cry up a river.

It suddenly went very, very quiet then.

Draco's eyes softened. "Belle – "

"If Voldemort told you to kill me or else he'd kill you, would you do it?" she asked silently.

Draco's eyes went wide with horror. "Of course not! I'd rather die and have you live. You're my sister, Belle. I love you more than anything in this world."

Annabelle didn't respond to that. She took a deep breath. "If Voldemort asked you to kill Harry, even though I was begging you not to, would you do it?"

Draco hesitated. And that was all Annabelle needed.

"I knew it. I _knew it!_" she shouted furiously. "I should have known this would be it! I should have known since you agreed to kill Dumbledore!"

"Potter is the Dark Lord's enemy," he growled, "Of course I'd do what would be best. Besides, I don't know what kind of attachment you have towards him but I'm _sick_ of you hanging around him. This is for your own good, can't you see Belle? Potter is the enemy - he's been _my_ enemy since first year. You're supposed to stand by family no matter what, but it feels like you'd choose Potter over me!"

Annabelle was taken aback. "I would never choose Harry over you Draco! I love you! But your head is screwed up! Harry is not the enemy – Voldemort is!"

Draco sucked in a breath. "Voldemort is not the enemy. He's our leader. And I don't know what's going in _your_ head, Belle, but we're going to be death eaters no matter what and nothing you do will stop it!"

If Draco looked pissed before… now he looked horrific.

Annabelle shook her head heatedly. "No. I saw what you did to Katie Bell yesterday, Draco. You're already a death eater. You don't need any mark to prove it." She paused. "You're a murderer."

There was a shot of fury in Draco's eyes for a split moment, and in the next, he pushed Annabelle so hard she was thrust into the owlery wall. Pain shot through her spine and she landed awkwardly on the floor. All breath was sucked out of her body from the impact and she looked up weakly to see Draco, his eyes narrowed.

She stood up shakily, her back aching, not taking her eyes off of Draco's.

It was quiet. Very, eerily, quiet.

"Call yourself what you want," she whispered. "But don't _ever_ call me your sister. _Never_."

Annabelle didn't know how he reacted, because in the next second she was pushing past him and running away. She just remembered that last look he gave her: cold, unmoving, and hateful.

* * *

"Well, how about a look over here. If it isn't little Miss Belle Malfoy – and, oh! Is she crying?"

Blaise sounded like he always does – annoying.

Annabelle pushed past him on her way out of the hallway. "Please get out of my face, Blaise."

Annabelle only managed to take a few steps away from Blaise when she felt a sharp pressure added to her wrist, and was thrust around to be face to face with Blaise, who was holding her tightly.

"Did you get the letter?" he said, and his voice was husky, and his breath stank like rotten broccoli.

Annabelle tried very hard for her voice to sound calm, emotionless. "Yeah, I did."

Blaise grinned – a cold, cruel grin – and the pressure he applied was so enormous, Annabelle kicked him in the nuts, which thankfully, made him lose his grip.

"So, want to go to the ball with me?" he asked, momentarily regaining his composure as she was walking hurriedly away.

"Why the hell would I want to go with you, Blaise?" she asked, annoyed as she started to turn around the corner.

"Because I really like you, and if you don't I'll just send an owl to your parents telling them you've been hanging around Potter."

Annabelle froze.

"Caught your attention now, have I?" Blaise said, and Annabelle could hear the grin in his voice.

She turned around and looked at him, as he leaned against a doorframe calmly. She hoped he'd see the hate in her eyes, but the guy looked very, very smug.

"Of course," he continued, when Annabelle couldn't open her mouth to say anything, "It won't be much of a problem seeing as you're already prepared for the Ball. You do have a dress, don't you?"

When Annabelle finally did find her voice, it was very small. "Blaise… I-I'm going to tell Seamus I can't go with him right now… I can't – I can't show up at the Yule Ball tomorrow with you. That's just… cruel."

Blaise kept staring at her, but his expression was unreadable. Annabelle went on, "I can't Blaise, please understand. Please don't send an owl to mom and dad; I like it too much here. I finally found friends, and… I belong. I finally belong."

Annabelle took a deep breath and faced herself so she was looking directly at Blaise's cloudy eyes without hesitation. Another minute of silence; Annabelle hoped Blaise was actually listening to her.

"Blaise, I'm asking you as a friend. Please."

There was some scuttling and loud noises going around the corner, and Annabelle heard familiar laughter.

She slightly turned her head to see who was walking down the hallway, and was surprised to see Ron, Neville and Lavendar. All of them seemed to be discussing a highly animated topic, but stopped completely when they saw Annabelle with Blaise. Lavendar kept on walking, ignorant to the fact that her friends had stopped, but came to a quick halt a few paces later.

Ron and Neville straightened their backs, sizing Blaise up.

As much as Annabelle appreciated their support, she really wasn't in the mood. In fact, she wished they hadn't shown up at all.

Blaise glanced at them for a split second, smirking, before spinning on his heel and walking the opposite direction of Annabelle.

"I'll meet you in the owlery at 7, Belle. Better be there, or the letter won't be."

As soon as he was gone, Ron and Neville approached Annabelle, who seriously was close to crying, confused looks on their faces. Annabelle was begging every cell in her body to keep strong, because if it wouldn't be, she knew she'd faint on the spot.

"Anna?" Neville asked uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

Annabelle cleared her throat. "Yeah. Fine. You guys heading to the common room?"

All three of them nodded silently. Annabelle forced herself to smile. "Great, I'll go with you."

The way to the common room was much longer than what Annabelle expected it to be. Ron and Lavendar were in the lead, both of them holding hands, and Neville was walking right beside her, sometimes throwing her concerned glances, which she ignored.

Ron would occasionally make jokes to lighten the mood – which Annabelle greatly appreciated – except they wouldn't last long. Also, Annabelle's forced laugh made her sound like a mutated donkey.

When they finally reached the Fat Lady, Annabelle couldn't have had been more relieved. But then she remembered of the task she was supposed to complete in the common room, and her stomach dropped.

Harry, Dean, and Seamus were all sitting in the common room, playing exploding snap in front of the fireplace. Hermione was on the couch beside them, nose buried deep in her book, and she glanced up when she heard the portrait door swing open. She smiled when she saw Annabelle and Neville but glared and completely ignored Lavender and Ron.

The boys all greeted them happily, and Ron, Neville, and Lavender all sat around them watching them play.

Annabelle stood awkwardly at the doorway, wondering how she was going to do this so it didn't hurt Seamus too much. But as hard as she tried to think of something, she knew that even with her best efforts, Seamus would still be hurt the same.

She cursed Draco, her parents, and Voldemort under her breath. It was their entire fault; it was always their fault. So hesitantly, Annabelle walked over to Seamus and tapped him gently on the shoulder.

He was laughing when Annabelle poked him, so when he turned around with his face glowing harder than the sun, Annabelle's heart broke. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Seamus… I have to talk to you," she said quietly.

She felt Harry's eyes boring into hers and she quickly glanced at him – but regretted it immediately. His green eyes were wide with confusion and concern and his face made Annabelle's stomach explode with butterflies.

"What do you need to talk to me about?"

Annabelle looked back at Seamus. "It's… can we talk in private?"

Seamus looked over at the exploding snap and stared at in longingly for a moment before turning back to Annabelle. "Do we have to? Now, I mean?"

Annabelle bit her lip. "It's important."

He sighed – prolonging it for dramatic effect – before getting up and putting his arm around Annabelle's waist.

"Is it fine if we talk just outside of the common room? I don't want to be gone too far, in case Dean decides to cheat." Seamus rolled his eyes, and Dean threw a card at him jokingly from the corner.

Annabelle nodded, and with his hand in hers he led her out of the portrait room so that they stood just outside of it, but out of earshot of the Fat Lady.

"What's wrong, Anna?" he asked.

She took a deep breath in. "Seamus… I can't go to the Ball with you."

There was a moment of silence as Seamus took it in, a little bit shocked.

"Why not?"

Annabelle, as stupid as this might seem, did not expect the 'Why' question even though it was obvious he'd probably ask it.

"Uhm, something came up…" she started, fidgeting a little.

"Like what?" Seamus crossed his arms now, and he looked a little mad.

"I'm not feeling too well and – "

"Go to Madame Pomfrey," he said simply. "Take some of the medicine she'll give you and I'm pretty sure you'll feel better for tomorrow night."

Annabelle tried again, "But I think it's the flu, or something – "

"Anna, she's a witch isn't she?" he said, impatiently now. "A flu is a minute's work for her, for crying out loud."

This was _so _not going to be easy.

"Seamus – I just can't – "

"Why?" he said loudly. "Give me one valid reason why, and then I'll understand."

As Annabelle stared at him, she wondered if it wouldn't be easier just to break up. What kind of excuse can she give him?

"I'm just not feeling up to it, that's all," she said in a small voice.

Seamus looked outraged. "Anna! We've been planning this for a while now, not to mention I've spent quite a bit on your dress, and now you just "don't feel like going"!"

Annabelle had no idea what to say to that. Her head was clouding up and she started to feel herself trembling.

"I'll – I'll pay you back, for the dress if - if you – "

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE DRESS," he yelled, and Annabelle was shocked that she'd made him this angry that easily.

"Seamus – please, don't yell – "

"Why not?" he said, but this time it wasn't a shout and it was more controlled. "Why don't you want to go with me Anna? Did I do something?"

Annabelle tried to make up the sentence in her head, but it was hard for her to form words at the moment. "What? No! You did nothing! You're an amazing boyfriend and I really, really appreciate all you have done – "

"Then go to the ball with me!"

Annabelle stared at him in shocked silence. He stared back, his eyes unmoving, and it honestly felt like they were the only two people in the school right now, as he waited for her response.

"I can't – I just… can't Seamus. I'm sorry," she whispered.

Seamus shook his head, and his eyes were ready to kill. He looked angry, of course, but there was a hint of disappointment and sadness.

"It's Potter, isn't it?" and his voice was quiet now too, and it hurt Annabelle almost like physical pain in her chest.

"What does Harry have anything to do with this?" she asked, even though she knew that truthfully, Harry was the reason her parents weren't letting her go anywhere with Seamus.

"You just can't get enough of him, can you? Don't you think I notice the looks you give him? Don't you think I know that you'd rather spend time with him – than me, your own boyfriend?"

"Seamus! That's not true!"

"Then why!" he shouted, and Annabelle did everything she could so she wouldn't cover her ears. "Why are _you_ running out on me _the night before the Ball_?"

Annabelle had the answer to that, but she really couldn't say, _"My parents are death eaters and I'm not allowed to go with you as a punishment for hanging around Harry and if I do then I will be taken away from Hogwarts and will be serving the Dark Lord forcefully for my entire life."_

No, that won't do. So she stared at him in silence, begging him silently to break up with her, to hurt her, to make her feel something she deserved.

Finally he shook his head. "I thought you were different. I really did." He sucked in a deep breath. "I guess I was wrong from the beginning then."

It hurt when Seamus broke up with her, but it hurt more when he turned around, walked away, and left it at that.

But Annabelle deserved it. She prayed he'd feel better, and even prayed that he'd find a date to the ball by tomorrow just so she didn't completely ruin his Christmas.

Annabelle felt the wall behind her, and slumped behind it, feeling miserable after ruining Seamus' night. Not to mention Christmas.

The way she saw it, she might have not had the dark mark, but she sure felt like a death eater.


	30. Explanations

Oh hey, fanfiction buddies!

So Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows motivated me to keep going with Ero Illic, and boy do I have a surprise for you guys! I'm sorry for the lack of update, I miss you guys so much! :(

Thanks to my beautiful and amazing reviewers: fairlyhers, Green Eyed Faerie, BlackRoseRed92, Leanora, Pelahnar(you made me smile so much!), spannieren, kt . potter93, BellaCullen2312 ( :]! ), XritaskeeterhatersX, hollowbastiongrl, sya, JainaZekk621, SimFlyer, D, angelfire1112002200!

That's 15 reviews for one chapter! Thank you guys so much for helping me reach my 200! You are absolutely, positively, THE BEST! I love you so so much!

-;-

Annabelle wasn't sure where she was walking, but in some crazy way she managed to kill four hours after her argument with Seamus. Her mind was so deep in thought she hadn't paid a single bit of attention to her surroundings, and when she finally did, she was sitting in front of the black lake, staring at nothing.

It was very, very dark and Annabelle had a feeling it was late at night so she decided to turn back in the direction of her common room.

Annabelle seriously thought she'd cry, but after that fight with Draco it felt like she couldn't. Besides, she was acting like a baby during the entire ordeal. She's in Gryffindor, she's supposed to be brave and face everything with her chin up! She knew that crying won't help, so she decided to give up on it.

Sometimes, she started to shake violently from all the stress and she wondered if she'd pass out soon like she used to, but nothing ever came. She was always fine afterwards.

When she entered the common room the second time that night, she was not surprised that the entire room was empty. She presumed walking down the way to the staircase, when a movement caught her eye and she looked to the right to see Harry. He must have noticed her at the same time too because he looked a little surprised. Both of them smiled at each other. A warm feeling spread through Annabelle's fingers and toes and instantly she felt better, even though Harry didn't really do anything. She noticed that he was reading that Potions textbook that once belonged to the Half Blood Prince and sighed. Hermione was telling her that Harry has been getting more and more obsessive over that book.

"Annabelle!" he said joyously, as he closed the book and shoved it away.

"Harry!" Annabelle mimicked tiredly, smiling slightly when Harry rolled his eyes.

"Where were you? It's a quarter after one!"

Annabelle plopped down on the couch tiredly, and Harry joined her moments later. She hung her head and closed her eyes, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.

"I was thinking," she responded, a few seconds late.

"You've been doing a lot of that lately. What have you been thinking about?" He sounded genuinely curious.

"Life."

Harry nodded his head, accepting this answer and not pushing any further.

"Annabelle," he said a moment later, "Seamus… he was, well, a little stricken when he entered the common room after he talked to you and he – he seemed really mad. Er, at me." Annabelle raised her head again to look at him. He seemed confused. "Did you say anything to him… regarding me?"

He looked a little nervous, and Annabelle couldn't help but think of how much of a crush she had on this kid.

_No! No! Go away you stupid feeling, go away!_

"Oh," she said bluntly, playing with her fingers and wondering how she was going to tell the news to Harry, "Well, we sort of… uhm, broke up."

She glanced at him and it seemed like he was trying very hard to keep a serious face on. "And he… he thinks it's your fault that we, you know, did it."

Annabelle snuck another glance at him, feeling suddenly nervous at his reaction, but Harry merely grinned.

"Really?" he asked, and the tension lifted.

Annabelle smiled. "He thinks that, well, that I'd rather be with you than him, and that I fancy you or something – "

"Do you?" Harry's eyes were twinkling, and Annabelle had a hard time deciphering whether he was joking or not.

So at that moment, Annabelle laughed hysterically to try to cover it up (even though it wasn't that funny) and Harry started to laugh with her, both very loud for a few minutes until it came to a sudden stop.

And then it went awkward.

"Anyways," Harry said, breaking the awkward tension. "Does that mean that you're not going to the Cedric's Ball tomorrow night?"

"I don't think I'll feel up to it," she said truthfully. _But there is a small chance I might show up with ugly, backstabbing, stupid, stinky, mean, idiotic… let's just keep it at Blaise._

"Harry?" Annabelle asked, a thought popping in her head suddenly. "Who are you planning to go to the Ball with?"

"Oh." Harry turned a little red. "I didn't actually find a date. Er, Padma asked me a few days ago and I still haven't responded, but I think… I think I might go with her." He looked a little uncertain at the thought and a little troubled too.

"Drink lots of butterbeer for me," Annabelle grinned at him.

Harry smiled unconvincingly. "Are you seriously going to miss the Cedric's Ball? It's… well, it's a big thing. And it seemed like you wanted to go – before, that is."

Annabelle sighed and sunk lower in her chair. If only Harry knew, she thought.

"I did – do want to go Harry. It sounds amazing. But I can't… I can't show up that quickly after what happened with Seamus. It's just… mean."

Harry nodded in understanding.

Then he stood up, on his feet and stretching his arms straight up in the air. "Great, so then we'll just spend the Cedric's Ball together!" he exclaimed, already turning around to go to his dormitory.

Annabelle hastily got up too, following his steps. "What do you mean? I thought I just told you I'm not going!"

He yawned in a dramatic way and started walking up the stairs to his dormitory. "Well, I'm not going to leave you alone on a night where everyone's out having fun dancing, while you spend time in the common room moping over your miserable life," he said seriously. Annabelle could barely see him anymore as he reached the top of the stairs, so, breaking McGonogalls rules, she ran up the _boys _stairs to follow him.

The beauty of the Gryffindor common room was that boys couldn't get up to girls dormitories, but girls could go up the boys. This was good, but bad in a lot of senses too.

"My life is not miserable," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms as he stood in front of his room. "And besides, don't you have a date with Padma?"

Harry shrugged. "I wasn't going to ask her until today."

"_Today? _As in the **day of** the Cedric's Ball?" she asked incredulously.

"Be quiet, you'll wake up all the boys!" he whispered, but Annabelle knew he was trying to hold back laughter.

Annabelle softened up a little as he grabbed the door handle to get inside.

"So… even though it's an event that highlights the entire year… you'll miss it, so you can stay with me?" She asked quietly, and she hated how pathetic her voice sounded.

"Well I can't miss it," he said silently, his green eyes glowing. "I have to be there for the beginning because I was one of the champions and I have to deliver a speech, but that's only the first half hour. After that I'll just leave and we can hang out in the common room together, playing wizards chess or something…"

Annabelle raised an eyebrow. "So you're going to show up at the Cedric's Ball, for the first half hour, make a grand entrance and deliver a speech – dateless?"

Harry rolled his eyes, and Annabelle hoped that the sound of her heart thumping furiously against her rib cage wasn't loud enough for Harry to hear. "I told you," he said annoyingly. "I'm going with Padma."

"Padma isn't an idiot, she won't go with you for only a half hour of the Ball – "

"Then go with me," Harry said, and he almost regretted it the moment he said it. He hoped it sounded casual, but probably came out very fast so she wouldn't understand any of the rubbish he said.

He knew she understood though, because she sighed and leaned against the tapestry wall.

"Harry, you know I'd love to. I really, really, would. But I can't show up at the Ball – especially with you. Seamus thinks you're the reason we broke up in the first place – "

"Why are you so scared of him, Annabelle? He won't be sad, heck, he'll probably be chatting up his new girlfriend – "

"New girlfriend?" Annabelle interrupted, her eyes wide. Harry, noticing the look in her eyes, quickly tried to take back what he said.

"N-no no, not girlfriend. He's just got a date to the ball already, that's all," he said quickly.

"Who?" Annabelle asked, raising her eyebrows. She was surprised that no feeling of jealousy was entering her system.

"He sort of asked Hannah Abbot," Harry said uneasily, watching her reaction, "I didn't believe it, because I thought you two were still together… so – "

Annabelle covered her face in her hands, and then slid down to the floor as her knees suddenly became very wobbly.

"It's all my fault, I'm such a monster…" she whispered, but her voice was muffled by her hands.

"Hey, Annabelle," Harry said softly, kneeling down so his face was even with hers, "you're no monster. You've never been one, trust me. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but I wouldn't call you breaking up with him a mistake."

Annabelle didn't say anything.

"You're probably the most sweetest, kindest, and nicest girl I've ever met," Harry went on quietly. "And you're the only person, despite all that I've been through, that can make me smile like there's no tomorrow."

Annabelle uncovered her face, smiling gently as she saw the beauty of Harry's eyes.

"Tomorrow, it will be just us," he whispered. "I'll go to the Ball for a bit, and then afterwards, we could spend that entire night together. What do you say?"

"I say that that's the best idea I've heard all day," she told him.

* * *

"Hey, Anna, how are you feeling?" Hermione asked, as Annabelle walked down for breakfast. She was surprised that the only person sitting there with Hermione was Ginny. Since it was seven thirty in the morning, and lessons start in half an hour, she figured there'd be more people.

"Good," Annabelle said, grabbing some toast. "You heard about it then, didn't you?"

Ginny looked from side to side discreetly, before leaning in cautiously. "Anna, the _whole school_ knows."

Well, figures. Give it a couple of hours and Hogwarts will already have all the gossip up their sleeve.

Annabelle rolled her eyes, but felt confident in herself. She spent the entire night thinking about what she will do over the whole ordeal, and she felt like she came up with a pretty good plan. "I'm feeling better, because I know what I'm going to do," she told them.

Hermione gasped; Ginny exclaimed, "You're getting back together with him?"

"No!" Annabelle said hastily, looking at them incredulously. "But I'm going to talk to him. I _need_ to talk to him. But firstly, I'll have to give him some space."

"Is it true it was because of Harry, though?"

Annabelle bit her lip, trying to think of a way to answer Ginny's question smartly. Maybe she shouldn't, what business is it of hers? But then again, Ginny was her friend, and friends tell each other everything. "He thinks it is…" she started.

"Obviously it is," Hermione cut in, suddenly looking uninterested.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh shut up already Anna," Ginny said, changing her tone of voice so quickly Annabelle had to switch her glance to Ginny. "This is _so_ perfect, oh my gosh…"

"What are you guys talking about?"

"What the whole school is talking about," Hermione said boredly, watching Ginny cut her eggs. "Everyone knows it's just a matter of time before you and Harry get together."

"You aren't talking about me by any chance, are you?" Harry's voice sounded, right behind Annabelle.

Annabelle was so red in the face, and her mouth was still open in a giant 'O' of confusion – that it caused Ginny and Hermione to burst out laughing… which was even worse.

Harry seemed to shrug it off as he sat down next to Annabelle, smiling at her slightly when she caught his eye.

"Can you pass the pumpkin juice?" he asked her, loading his plate with bacon and such.

Annabelle leant to grab the container, and then as she was passing it to Harry her hand brushed his. Some sort of electric shock went through her hand, raking her nerves, and all of a sudden, she felt the container drop.

It was almost like slow motion as the container fell and sprayed the pumpkin juice all over Harry and her.

Ginny and Hermione burst out laughing, once again.

"Oh, Harry," Annabelle cried, completely embarrassed. "I'm so sorry! Oh, I shouldn't have – "

Harry grinned at her. "You over react sometimes, you know," he told her seriously. "Hermione?"

Hermione had to stifle the last of her giggles before pulling out her wand, muttering some sort of spell Annabelle couldn't comprehend, and cleaning the last pit of pumpkin juice that was on Harry's robes.

"So, what color is the dress you're wearing tonight?" Ginny asked suddenly, forgetting the entire humiliating scene that had just happened before her. "Mine's purple. Dean said he'd find some sort of tie to go with it. Personally, I hope he buys a single white flower to put in his dress robes, but we'll just have to see."

Annabelle looked down silently at the full plate of food in front of her, suddenly not wanting to eat anymore as Hermione and Ginny discussed the beautiful dance that she would unfortunately miss.

The Great Hall started to pile up, and soon Annabelle and her friends were joined by Padma, Neville, and Dean. All of them were hyped and excited about the ball and were discussing it highly animatedly. Annabelle tried not to think of it as she played with her food. She wouldn't have that much fun anyways, especially with all the drama going on. Wouldn't she?

Quite suddenly, Annabelle felt someone bump her knee underneath the table. She looked up to see Hermione watching her. When they met eyes, Hermione jerked her head to the right a little bit, and Annabelle followed the direction, until meeting Seamus' gaze. He was standing at the doors of the Great Hall, his eyes tired and small, and his hair a great mess. His clothes weren't even properly put on, and he seriously looked like someone in desperate need of help.

The moment he saw Annabelle, he made a sweeping motion and turned to go out of the hallway. Full of sadness and guilt, Annabelle quickly piled breakfast on a random plate, before following Seamus out of the hallway.

He was hard to catch up with, especially with the swarm of students who were constantly walking in the corridors, but the moment he stepped outside Annabelle was able to pick up her pace and finally reach him. He was underneath a tree, looking up to admire the Quidditch pitch.

Hesitantly, Annabelle placed herself down to be beside him – not too close, yet not too far. As he deliberately ignored her, she lifted the plate of food and brought up close to him. He stole one fleeting glance at it, then looked away.

"Seamus… I know that you're hungry," she said softly.

Seamus kept his tired face forward, not acknowledging Annabelle at all. Annabelle felt a lump starting to rise in her throat – no Annabelle, don't cry, she reminded herself. She was in Gryffindor. She was brave. Gryffindors don't cry.

Annabelle looked down reprovingly at the food; she took note of how she placed it, and realized if she put the eggs, bacon and sausages in a specific way, she could make a smiling face. Once again, she pushed the plate to make it face Seamus.

He looked down at it expectantly, raised his eyebrows a little bit, and then looked away as if nothing happened.

Annabelle slumped down, frustrated, thinking of other ways to make him happy.

"Listen… Bee – Anna," Seamus said quietly, and his voice startled Annabelle so much she nearly dropped all the food off the plate. There was a little snicker that came from Seamus as Annabelle hastily tried to balance out the plate, before he went on. "But I really, really, don't want to talk to you right now."

"But you're hungry, so why don't you just take the food?" she offered gingerly.

He looked at her with a sideways glance, and Annabelle didn't feel any butterflies, or anything at all like she did with Harry. But she did care for him, so it nearly broke her heart to see his tired and dismantled face.

He grabbed the plate of food timidly, then started to munch on some toast, once again deliberately ignoring Annabelle.

Annabelle was watching him curiously, feeling a lot like Luna, and she realized he was starting to get uncomfortable. So once he choked on a piece of bacon and gulped it down with some water he conjured, he turned around to face her.

"Is there something important you want to tell me?" he asked, questioning.

"Yes."

"Can it not wait until – I don't know – tomorrow?"

"No."

Seamus exasperated, leaned against the trunk of tree, crossing his arms and looking bored. "What?"

Annabelle started slowly. "I want… to let you know… the real reason why, uhm…"

"You broke up with me?" Seamus supplied, his voice strained.

Annabelle took a deep breath, hating herself for telling yet another person a secret she shouldn't tell anyone in the first place, and started to explain.


	31. Just Too Much

haha, don't worry guys, I'm still alive! :P I'm so sorry, it's been a terribly long while. I'm trying to get back into it, and I think I will be updating a lot more frequently than i did because I just feel horrible. I've been so busy and my life has been so crazy, I just keep forgetting about ero illic. But I'm trying to update it more and more because I feel better when I do :)

I tried to make this chapter long, I hope you guys enjoy it! I really feel horrible... I promise I'll try to finish it before the last movie comes out! :D

Thanks to my amazing, wonderful, and sweetest reviewers: angelfire1112002200, AcPa xox, mwlinda, AnGelFaCe S2, Pelahnar, XxKuragari no KagexX, hollowbastiongrl, XritaskeeterhatersX (love the name, aha!) kt . potter93, JainaZekk621, Green Eyed Faerie, and Leanora! WOW, 12 reviewers! I love you to death you guys!

enjoy!

* * *

"Good afternoon, Ms. Malfoy," Dumbledore greeted, the moment Annabelle walked into his office. "I'm surprised that you were able to make this meeting, most of the ladies I know are already preparing for the Ball!" He chuckled to himself lightly.

Annabelle smiled emptily. "I'm not going to the Ball, sir."

Dumbledore stopped his chuckling momentarily, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Why ever not?"

Annabelle looked down shyly and shook her head. "Reasons, sir."

He took a moment to look at her conducingly, before sighing loudly. "Life's hard sometimes."

Annabelle nodded in agreement thinking of her past problems, wondering how she managed to get through them all.

"But sometimes, there's one thing that can free us from the pain and burden of life. Do you have any idea what that is, Ms. Malfoy?"

Annabelle really would appreciate it if he stopped calling her "Ms. Malfoy".

"No, sir."

Dumbledore leaned in closely, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles. "Love," he said softly.

Annabelle looked at him. "Sometimes, sir," she started slowly. "It's hard to love the people you're supposed to."

"Not that type of love, Annabelle. Dig deeper."

Annabelle let herself wander freely into her own mind, thinking about people she might actually love.

"Professor Dumbledore… I care for a lot of people, I don't really know what I should be "digging" for – "

"Annabelle," Dumbledore cut her off, a serious edge to his tone, "This is precisely why this task I am about to give you will be easy for you. It's because you don't just care for people you _know_, you care for _everyone_. People you probably even despise."

Annabelle furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why was Dumbledore telling her this? But she wanted to prove him wrong. She wanted to show him that he _didn't_ know absolutely everything about her and that he was wrong when it came to one certain topic.

"I hate Voldemort," she said out loud. "And I don't care for him."

He nodded.

"Sit down, Annabelle," Dumbledore said gently, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk. Annabelle sat down hesitantly, looking up at the man in curiosity.

"This is precisely why I called you down today. To discuss love."

"But sir, I thought you were to tell me about my – erm, ability?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Exactly."

Annabelle furrowed her eyebrows, staring at him in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Dumbledore lowered his face gravely, smiling slightly. "You're very similar to Harry, dear Annabelle. Do you know that?"

Annabelle was starting to get impatient, as she wanted to get straight to the point. "Sir, please, I really don't know what you're trying to tell me."

Dumbledore stood up, snapped his fingers, and a house elf popped up in between Annabelle and him. The house elf had bat-like ears and huge tennis ball eyes that looked more joyous than possible. He had socks of every color all over his body, and was smiling up at Dumbledore goofily.

Annabelle could not help but giggle at the site of this joyful little elf.

"Dobby, if it won't be much of a problem, I'd like you to help us," Dumbledore told the elf.

Dobby nodded vigorously, so fast and furiously that two socks that were hanging from his ears fell down. "A pleasure headmaster Dumbledore! It is a pleasure to help you!"

Annabelle turned to look at Dumbledore with question.

"Professor?"

"I want you to protect Dobby, Annabelle. I will shoot a curse at Dobby – "

"Sorry Professor – what?" Annabelle asked, afraid she heard that last part of the sentence wrong.

Dumbledore lowered his head calmly. "I will curse Dobby with my wand – "

"One that won't harm him in any way, right?" Annabelle interjected worriedly.

"No," he said patiently. "It will not harm him. However I'd like you to use the shield that has protected Harry once before, and yourself when Professor Snape tried to curse you."

"But I've no clue how to perform it, Professor! I don't know anything about it!" Annabelle said worriedly, already shaking from stress. She had no clue how to work this dumb "shield" – it always just _came _when she needed it to.

"Just try."

Gulping down a ball that has formed at her throat, Annabelle looked over at the grinning elf and at Dumbledore, thinking strongly of an invisible shield that would expand right in between them. She thought of its magnificent powers, of powers that maybe Voldemort didn't have. She thought of a huge invisible shield expanding from one wall of Dumbledore's office to another, protecting Dobby from any harm possible –

And Dobby was suddenly on the ground, in fits of laughter. Dumbledore lowered his wand, and Annabelle knew she hadn't succeeded.

"Professor," Annabelle began, as Dobby slowly started coming to his senses. "I really have no clue – "

"What did you think of, Annabelle? When you've done the shield before? What did you feel?" Dumbledore asked thoughtfully.

"Professor, I really don't remember – "

"Just try."

Annabelle bit her lip and looked at the ceiling. What was she thinking? She thought back to Halloween night, but she couldn't possibly remember what she was thinking… Nor what happened in Potions…

"Annabelle, do you like Bellatrix Lestrange? Or Professor Snape?"

"Absolutely not," Annabelle replied right away.

Dumbledore lowered his head, thinking hard. After a few long seconds, he raised it again. "All right," he said quietly. "We're going to try again, but this time I want you to think of how much dislike you have for any particular person. I want you to focus on the person with all your might… okay?"

Annabelle nodded, confused. As Dumbledore started to raise his wand again, she began to think of Lord Voldemort. She thought of how much he had ruined her life, what he has done to Harry and so many other people… She saw Dumbledore flick his wand…

And nothing happened. Not to her, nor Dobby.

She was more confused than ever. "Sir?"

But Dumbledore, who's eyes widened and who's mind seemed to speeding faster than normal, ran over to his desk and pulled out some sort of book.

Annabelle tried again. "Sir?"

"Annabelle, if it would be all right with you, I would like another one of these meetings with you… soon." He didn't even look up from his book.

"Sure, but I – "

"I will send you a letter. We will discuss this later."

Annabelle, taking this as her dismissal, nodded and walked out of his office, completely bemused.

* * *

"Yes, Hermione, I already told you that you look amazing," Annabelle said for the twentieth or so time, as she watched Hermione twirl unconvincingly in front of the mirror. "I bet Ron won't be able to take his eyes off you."

Hermione froze, making Annabelle realize her mistake.

"I'm getting dressed up for Viktor, Anna," She said stubbornly. "I don't care about Ronald."

When Hermione turned back around to examine herself in the mirror some more, Annabelle rolled her eyes. She looked down at her own outfit, which consisted of jeans and a plain t shirt, and felt more unglamorous than she had in her whole life. The white dress she received from Seamus was hanging in her closet, but she couldn't bring herself to put it on, much less look at it. It would only make her regret not going to the Ball even more.

"I still don't understand why you're not going to the Ball," Hermione said thoughtfully, as she played around with some of her loose curls. "I mean, you don't really need a date to be happy."

"It's a long story… I'll let you know of it after."

Hermione still didn't know why Annabelle wasn't going, but Annabelle knew she had some sort of idea what could have happened. She just was being a good friend, and not pressuring her to tell her.

"Okay… I think I'm ready. Gosh, I haven't seen Viktor in ages!" Hermione muttered hotly.

"Where are you supposed to meet him?"

"Outside, in front of the lake." Hermione smoothed her dress one last time, and then looked up, smiling at Annabelle. "Do you want to come with me?"

Annabelle shook her head quickly. "Oh no… it's your date, I couldn't possibly – "

"Oh be quiet and come," Hermione said, but before Annabelle could put another word in, she grabbed her hand and pulled her down the stairs and into the dormitory room. Annabelle avoided eye contact with all the dressed up boys and girls that were there, because she didn't want to explain why she wasn't going. Hermione had already let go of her hand, but Annabelle was picking up her pace so she wouldn't have to stay longer in the room than necessary.

The moment they stepped out, Annabelle took a deep breath. She could do this… it's just a ball… not even a big deal…

They kept walking together, Hermione sometimes receiving gasps from other girls and lots of compliments, and Annabelle smiling encouragingly the whole way. When they neared the Black Lake, Annabelle had her first look at Viktor Krum.

Her first initial thought was… _Wow, Hermione did good._

He looked a little old, with a little stubble in his chin, but he had dark eyes that showed affection when Hermione neared. His build was huge, and the muscles on his arms could compare the size of Annabelle's face.

"Hermione!" He shouted gleefully, walking up to her himself. "You look beautiful."

Hermione blushed a little bit, and Annabelle figured that this was probably her cue to go. "Well, you two have a good night," she told them serenely. "I'll see you later Hermione."

Before Hermione could have thrown Annabelle _another_ sorrowful smile, Annabelle turned around and walked up the hills towards the Owlery. She was happy for everyone, but she couldn't help but let that little green monster float around in her stomach every time she saw a girl in a ball gown.

She kept her eyes forward and kept her concentration focused on the Owlery, about what she was going to tell Blaise. She was glad that she was running into less and less people as she neared the small tower, and she hoped that there would be no one in the actual room except for herself and Blaise.

As she went through the big oak doors, her eyes immediately locked onto Blaise's, who smiled curtly at her entry. He eyed her for a second later, then let his gaze drop to examine her body, noticing that she had no dress robes on. When his eyes met hers again, there was a hint of disappointment and coldness.

"Decided you're not going?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"I just came to see you send that letter," Annabelle said calmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Truth be told, she dreaded the fact that he would send it, but she didn't want to let him get to her.

Blaise pulled out a white letter from his pocket, and set it on the window sill. "Don't pretend that you don't care that I'm sending it," he said.

Annabelle shrugged. "I don't. I'm finished with you."

"How about I give you ten minutes to get your pretty face ready, and you come with me no matter what you think?"

The tone of his voice held warning, which scared Annabelle a little bit but she couldn't think of anything the idiot could do to her.

"Why do you want to go with me so badly, anyways?" she asked curiously.

Blaise ignored the question. His face suddenly went dark, and a wave of seriousness washed over him. "Listen, in all honesty, I don't really care if you want to go with me or not. But I should let you know that I still need to practice some of my Unforgiveable Curses, and I wouldn't be afraid to practice them right now."

Annabelle stared at him in disbelief. "You're joking."

Blaise smiled, and pulled out his wand as to scare Annabelle a little bit. He started twirling it with his fingers, enjoying the dawning sense of panic that was now evident in Annabelle's face.

"You're screwed up you know that?" she almost yelled, taking her own wand out too. The stupid stick wouldn't work for her anyways, so it really held no protection for her. However, she remembered what Dumbledore was saying about the protective shield she had – it once did protect Harry from the Cruciatous Curse… would she be able to do it again?

Blaise only laughed. "The Dark Lord would be proud."

"Blaise, _you're not one of them_. Stop pretending and lower your stupid wand!"

"I will be on Christmas Day. And so will you."

Annabelle was stumped, and Blaise took this moment of confusion and aimed a hex at Annabelle. Annabelle saw it coming, and only at the last second she tried to jump out of way of the blue jet light that was coming her way – but it hit her on her ankles, and she was thrown back by the force. It threw her across the room and made her hit a nearby shelf that was filled with owls, which quickly scurried away. The impact was strong, and it caused her to lose her breath for a few seconds, but the pain was passive. All she could concentrate on was the boy that was standing in front of her, who used to be her somewhat friend.

She got up on her feet, breathing heavily, a rage of anger shooting inside of her at the sight of Blaise's smirk.

"How did that feel, Belle? Did it hurt a little?" His voice was playful, teasing, but in the cruelest way imaginable.

"Why are you doing this?"

Blaise looked a little taken aback for the slightest second, but quickly regained the look of cruelty on his face. He shrugged in response.

Annabelle continued, still breathing heavily. "You and I both know this isn't about the Ball – "

"No Belle, it isn't," Blaise said. "This is about you hanging around with stupid Potter, this is about you disobeying us!"

"_Disobeying_?" Annabelle shouted incredulously. "Are you serious?"

And then, as Annabelle's insides suddenly filled with dread, it all made sense.

"Someone put you up to this…" she whispered in horror.

Blaise shook his head, but Annabelle knew he was lying.

"To scare me. So I would stay away from Harry," she said. "Who did? Was it Mom? Dad? Maybe… _Lord Voldemort_?" she asked tauntingly. At the last name, however, Blaise went rigid and shot another curse at Annabelle. This one wasn't as friendly as the one before, and Annabelle found herself on the floor in a matter of milliseconds, screaming so loud it tore her lungs, every inch of her body covered in pain… Thoughts that stabbed her mind, each moment a thousand daggers were piercing her body…

And then it was over. Annabelle could barely think straight, but all that was coming to her mind was the sentence: _Blaise just cursed me with the Cruciatus Curse_. _Blaise just cursed me with the Cruciatus Curse. Blaise just cursed me with the Cruciatus Curse._

Annabelle's knees were wobbly, but she managed to stand up yet again. Blaise's face paled a little, but he was still holding his wand steadily.

"Don't say his name," he growled.

"You're ridiculous Blaise!" Annabelle yelled. "You're such a stupid, cowardly – "

"Don't make me curse you again," Blaise said through gritted teeth.

Annabelle raised her wand threateningly. "If you curse me one more time – "

"You'll what?" Blaise shouted, raising his own so it was level with Annabelle's. "You'll run to Scarface? Ask for protection? You're so _stupid_! Don't you understand… by siding with Potter you're asking for death!"

"By siding with Voldemort you're asking to be a murderer!" Annabelle retorted.

"I said _don't say his name_!" Blaise shot another hex at Annabelle, but she was ready this time, and jumped out of the way.

She looked at him. "I'm not afraid to curse you, you know."

At this, Blaise fell into a malicious laughter, which raged up Annabelle's emotion some more.

"That wand is useless! You can't do magic, I don't know if you realized," he taunted.

Annabelle bit her lip, but did not lower her wand.

"What are you going to do poke my eye with it?" He laughed some more.

Finally, Annabelle couldn't control the fury in her system any longer. She twisted her wand in the air, and yelled "Stupefy" as loud as she could muster, with as much emotion as she could…. A jet of red light emitted, but it wasn't from Annabelle's wand. The hex hit Blaise straight in the face, and he fell, unconscious, as Annabelle turned around to see who had cursed him.

It was Harry.

Annabelle felt a million emotions spread throughout her body, but relief wasn't one of them. In fact, the look of pure fury in Harry's eyes scared her. A lot.

"What the hell was that about?" Harry asked angrily.

Annabelle observed him; He was in his dress robes, nice and cleaned up and ready to go to the Ball. He looked so handsome it made Annabelle's insides squirm, and she tried to ignore the feeling. She was worried about how much Harry heard.

"I heard screaming…" he continued. "_Your_ screaming. What the hell did Blaise do?"

Annabelle bit her lip. "Harry, he was being a – "

"What did he do?" Harry pursued.

Annabelle chanced a glance towards Blaise's unmoving position on the ground. How was she supposed to explain all of this to Harry?

"Did he hurt you?" His voice was starting to get impatient.

"Harry – "

"Annabelle!"

Their eyes locked.

She took a deep breath, "Sort of."

Harry threw his arms up in the air, annoyed by Annabelle's response. In the meantime, Annabelle grew more worried about how much he could have heard.

"What curse did he use?" he tried again.

Annabelle was quiet for what felt like twenty minutes. She didn't know what she was to do… if Harry finds out about them becoming Death Eaters….

"I… I don't know," she lied as her mouth went dry.

Harry eyed her reproachfully. "You don't know," he repeated.

"I said a few things that angered Blaise, the next moment we're fighting, and the next I'm screaming." Annabelle bit her lip. "I really have no clue what happened."

Harry's expression suddenly switched to concern. "Are you all right?" He made a sudden movement to comfort Annabelle, but Annabelle turned around. She'd have so much to deal with the past few days, and as much as she craved Harry's comfort, she knew he wouldn't help a thing.

"Harry, you look fabulous. Just, go enjoy your night, okay?"

"I thought we were going to spend it together – "

"Harry – _please_."

Harry heard the desperation in her voice and groaned. He placed his arms on the back of his head and took a few steps back. "Okay," he said, as patiently as he could. "Okay, fine. I'll go, but we're still spending the night together. No matter what you say."

Then he left.

And that's exactly when Annabelle burst out crying.


	32. Love Beyond Control

I'm sorry everyone. I think it's been a year since I've updated. I don't know what led to me update this part, but for some reason I really wanted to continue this story today. I dont know how many readers (if any at all) are left, but I do hope you forgive me.

* * *

Annabelle's legs somehow managed to find the common room that evening. She didn't know how much time she spent crying in the Owlery, but by the time she was finished she felt like a dried up sponge, broken on the inside. She had so much emotions flowing through her body, it was hard to focus on even one. She was glad, however, that she didn't have endure coming face to face with someone, because she would not know what the explanation of her messed up face would be.

When she got inside the common room, there was no one inside, so she quickly crossed it to the girls dormitory, planning to spend her entire night cuddled up in her bed and crying some more. She seriously had no clue on what else to do.

She was in bed for no more than fifteen minutes when someone called her name loudly from outside. It was a masculine voice, which Annabelle immediately recognized as Harry's.

She stayed in bed. Her entire heart wanted to reach out and be with him, but her body stayed where it was. She had no clue what was going on with her.

Harry called her a few more times, and then moved on to throwing things at the door. Annabelle knew he couldn't climb up the girls' dormitory stairs, so she just listened as he pathetically tried to grab her attention.

"Damnit Annabelle! Open the door!"

There was a sudden large movement and a yell, as something hit the ground hard. And Annabelle knew Harry attempted to climb up the stairs, failing miserably.

Sighing, she resulted to walking over and opening the door, seeing Harry's body on the foot of the stairs, recovering from his last blow.

He scrambled up to his feet. "Did you not hear me?" he asked incredulously. He eyed her suspiciously. "You look like you've been hit by a truck over and over again."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"Listen, Annabelle, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Really. Just let me give you some company tonight. I mean, both of our lives suck at the moment so why don't we just drown in our miseries together?"

Annabelle bit her lip nervously. She couldn't help but feel like such a baby over the whole ordeal, especially seeing how much more Harry has to go through on a daily basis and how he hides it so well. She wished she was as strong as Harry.

Harry smiled at her. "I bet you can't beat me in Exploding Snap," he challenged.

This caused Annabelle to laugh a bit. "What are you talking about? I'm a champion at that game!"

"Wanna bet?" he raised his eyebrows goofily.

So, smiling, Annabelle followed him to sit down on the common room chairs and started to play the game with him.

After an hour of playing, and three wins by Annabelle, Harry gave up.

"When did you start playing this?" Harry asked.

Annabelle grinned, "When I first got here."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I've been playing this game for five years – I have no clue how you're better than me."

Annabelle smiled inwardly, glad that she decided to come out of her dormitory. The common room was deserted, and she could hear the laughter and the music coming from underneath her. A sudden wave of sadness washed over her and she sighed.

"You're not missing out on much," Harry told her, noticing her glum expression. "Trust me."

Annabelle looked over at him, taking in his now crumpled dress clothes – he took off his robe and had on just a white blouse and a loose tie around his neck. Looking at him, like this, made Annabelle's stomach explode into butterflies.

She smiled at his effort to comfort her, and then looked down to stare at her hands.

"Why don't we take a walk? Outside?" Harry suggested half-heartedly, attempting to light up the mood.

Annabelle nodded in agreement as she stood up. She glanced at the window to see it was snowing, so she told Harry she'd be right back as she went to her dormitory to grab her sweater.

_Don't think Annabelle_, she told herself. _Don't think… just live a little.. _

Harry was being so kind to her, sticking by her and just staying with her… the least Annabelle could do is be enthusiastic about it.

When she got downstairs, Harry was waiting for her with his hands in his pockets, grinning at the sight of her.

"Love the sweater," he commented as she followed him out of the door. "Ron would be impressed."

Annabelle smiled – she was wearing her Chudley Cannons sweater since it was the warmest one in her trunk. It used to belong to Draco, but then she took it from him when he would leave for Hogwarts. Whenever she would miss him she'd cuddle up in it, keeping the smell of him close to her.

They walked in silence after that, until they reached the outdoors when their footsteps would make soft _crunch_ noises after they would step onto the snow.

"Could I ask you something?" Harry said, cutting the soft sound of the wind with his voice.

"Go ahead," Annabelle replied.

Harry hesitated, "Why did you come this year? Why didn't you just start with the rest of us?"

Annabelle bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she should just tell Harry the truth. She was sick of keeping so many secrets anyways, but she wasn't sure if it would be the smartest idea to tell him everything at once, because he might get the wrong idea.

"Uhm," she began; she felt Harry's eyes zoned in on her, filled with complete care, and she turned a little red. "Well, this might kind of surprise you a little bit… but it was because I am sick."

His eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "You're sick?"

"N-no! Well, yes – " she corrected, noticing his confused expression, "but it's gotten better. And I don't even know if I'm sick anymore because everything has been good for the last few months."

"What kind of sickness is it?" he asked, concerned.

"Its, erm, I don't really know if it has a name. But I have a light temper, and when something happens to make me angry I just start hyperventilating for some reason. I know it sounds strange, but if I reach above what I can handle with my body, I could, well, uhm, I guess I can die."

Harry's jaw dropped open. He stopped moving and Annabelle stopped too, waiting for him to keep going.

"So basically," he said, as casually as he could, "If I make you really, really, angry… I could kill you."

His eyes were wide as he waited for Annabelle's response.

"You won't kill me, Harry, it's my fault I'm sick – "

"How is it that it's your fault you're sick? You were born with it, weren't you?" he interrupted.

"Well, I mean, yes, but no one can kill me – "

"If they make you mad, yes they will – "

"Harry," Annabelle sighed. "Really, it's better now. And I doubt there is anything in the world that you can do that could make me mad."

Harry looked down for a moment, and Annabelle was suddenly regretting telling Harry even a tiny part of the truth.

"Well…" Harry said, as an after thought, as he bent down to pick up some snow, "I can do this."

He threw the snow so that it hit Annabelle square on her face and she gasped. Harry laughed loudly as he got ready to throw another handful, but Annabelle managed to dodge it in time. While dodging the snowball she bent down to quickly grab some snow of her own, and fired it at Harry. It only hit him on the shoulder, and he grinned mischievously as he and Annabelle bent down at the same time to pick up more snow. The moment they both stood up, their hands filled with a huge lump of snow, they froze and made severe eye contact.

"You think you will manage to hit me this time?" Harry said mockingly, tossing the snowball up and down in his hand. Annabelle watched it carefully, awaiting for the perfect moment. She felt like distraction was the best tactic in this situation, so she decided to work on her acting skills.

Her eyes went suddenly wide and her mouth parted slightly, as she raised a shaking hand to point at something behind Harry. Harry's eyes suddenly lost all amusement as they filled with concern and worry, then turned around to see what Annabelle was pointing at.

When his turned his face to look back at Annabelle, he was welcomed with a face filled ball of snow.

"Yeah, I think I managed to hit you pretty well that time," Annabelle commented, grinning broadly.

Harry coughed and wiped the snow free from his glasses, revealing a suddenly very pink face. He looked at her dangerously for a few moments.

"Why you little – "

Before he could finish the rest of the sentence, he started to charge at Annabelle, who jumped quickly into escaping. Harry was quite fast, as Annabelle could see, but Annabelle gave in her best efforts to not allow herself to be caught by him. She was laughing and having the time of her life until her finally caught up, grabbed her, and fell with her onto an untouched pile of snow.

She kept laughing as he seized a pile of snow, and raised it right above her face. "Be prepared to get a face wash," he said.

"What! Harry, no!" The end of her words were muffled though, as she was hit by the cold snow and had it rubbed into her face. When Harry was finished she gasped, her entire face suddenly freezing.

And then they just looked at each other.

It felt a lot like that moment in the library what felt like years ago; Harry was on top of her and both of them weren't saying anything. Butterflies were erupting in Annabelle's stomach and she wondered if Harry could hear them. His face was just inches away from hers and all she could stare at were those beautiful, emerald green eyes.

He began to lean in, but stopped halfway, staring at Annabelle with a question in his eyes. Annabelle answered it by bringing her face closer until their lips touched.

Annabelle was instantly brought back to the Christmas when her entire family were sitting in front of a Christmas tree, listening to music, and eating homemade cookies. Draco and Connor were playing with little trains in the corner, her mother was laughing and her father was relaxing in the couch, feeling at peace. Annabelle remembered being very happy then.

But this, kissing the Boy-Who-Lived, was a different type of happiness all together. The butterflies had burst to an uncontrollable speed, Harry's lips were cold but so were hers and yet she felt so utterly warm. This moment was completely indescribable.

It felt like forever until they pulled away, and when they did, Annabelle was suddenly saddened. But when she opened her eyes and was once again met with the striking green eyes, it all came back again.

They both smiled at each other, and then Annabelle broke it by throwing another snowball at his face.


End file.
